WayTo Light Up A Room

This episode is about bioluminescence, why animals have it, the recent discovery that loads of mammals might just glow, and how the idea for one human invention was sparked by a creature that glows. When the story broke recently that Tasmansian devils are bioluminescent they joined the ranks of the platypus, the puffin, and quite a few other species. I knew it was time to get to the bottom of why so many animals are unexpectedly glowing. To help I was lucky enough to talk to Dr. Kenny Travouillon the Curator of Mammals at the Western Museum of Australia in Perth.

Among the many exciting discoveries he is making, including identifying new species he's also one of several scientists uncovering how some marsupials are glowing in the dark. When it comes to Australian marsupials, he shed some light on how this all got started with a chance discovery of a bioluminescent platypus. After learning of this, he decided to carry out a real life night at the museum and investigate what other surprises might be lurking in the dark. What resulted was uncovering that it’s an endless rave party down under with animals walking around like glow sticks, from brilliant whites to pinks, oranges, and greens. This colorful menagerie is leading scientists like Dr. Travouillon to investigate why so many of these mammals are lighting up the night (See photos at the end) 

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To keep up with Dr. Travouillon, follow him on Twitter @travouillonk and to learn about what’s happening at the Museum during the day and at night follow them Western Museum of Australia 

• Twitter https://twitter.com/wamuseum

• Facebook https://www.facebook.com/wamuseum

• Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wamuseum/

A few other highlights from this episode include exciting research Dr. Travouillon is conducting on bandicoots and bilbies, my special segment called “Kids don’t try this at home: the wonder and special talents of other animals” and finally I make the connection between how bioluminescent animals, especially fireflies, are impacting our lives. Fireflies were the inspiration for the artwork for this episode. For more on this check out these two articles:

https://www.futurity.org/light-bulbs-leds-fireflies-1988062/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2886568/How-firefly-lights-Researchers-reveal-incredible-lantern-structure-insects-use-time.html

 

Here are a few photos of Dr. Travouillon and the magic hidden under the cover of darkness. All photos are the property of the Western Museum of Australia and used with permission.

 

Dr. Travouillon (Copyright Western Museum of Australia)

Bandicoots (Copyright Western Museum of Australia)

Frilled-neck lizard (Copyright Western Museum of Australia)

 

Echidna (Copyright Western Museum of Australia)