NATURE'S LIVING LIGHTS: Fireflies and Other Bioluminescent Creatures

Striking format and lucid text are combined in an unusually appealing look at bioluminescence in both plants and animals. Deep-blue pages with white type and illustrations, interspersed with blue-on-white pages, provide a vivid background for dramatic facts about living light sources--including the familiar firefly and glowworm as well as the less familiar flashlight fish, angler fish, brittle star, dinoflagellates, and fungi. The Silversteins discuss how the light is produced and its functions for its hosts, including some current research. Also useful to man, bioluminescence is used by the fishing industry to locate schools of fish, by environmentalists to track pollution, and by the navy to track submarines. Medical scientists use it to test for infection and for early warning of bone, muscle, and heart disease. New studies focus on recombinant DNA: transferring light-producing genes to better understand heredity. Excellent science writing; an outstanding piece of bookmaking. Scientific names and works are italicized; brief glossary.