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Check out mysterious glowing eel caught by divers

Scuba-divers catch two green glowing eels and discover the newfound 'glow protein'.

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Glowing green eel | Credits: John Sparks, Vincent Pieribone and David Gruber
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During a scuba-diving trip in the Caribbean, scuba divers were surprised when they captured pictures of a mysterious green eel that glowed.

The divers managed to catch two green eels to examine their glowing properties.

This eel, Kaupichthys hyoproroides is known to be shy and reclusive.

Analysis showed that the eels had an entirely newfound class of fluorescent protein that need bilirubin (pigment formed in the liver) to glow.

These fluorescent proteins likely helped shape the eels' evolution, and may help researchers in developing new techniques in the lab.

In the last couple of years, researchers have found fluorescence is more widespread in marine life than previously thought.

These animals 'glow' by absorbing the blue light in the ocean and reemitting it at a longer, lower energy wavelength like orange, red or green.

The reason behind why the animals need to glow is still not clear.

A few hypothesis' are they glow for mating, avoiding a predator or attracting prey.

These proteins found in the eel can be used in biomedical experiments like how nerve cells interact with each other.

Read full article here.

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