How a firefly lights up: Researchers reveal the incredible 'lantern' structure the insects use for the first time

Researchers have uncovered exactly how the firefly lights up - and the stunning structure they use to do it. Using cutting- edge imaging techniques, scientists from Switzerland and Taiwan have finally unraveled the secrets of the firefly's intricate light-producing system for the first time. Giorgio Margaritondo at EPFL, Yeukuang Hwu at the Academia Sinica and their colleagues at the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan have successfully used two sophisticated imaging techniques to overcome the complexity of the firefly lantern and map out how oxygen is supplied to light-emitting cells. By applying these techniques on live fireflies, the scientists were able to see the entire structure of the lantern for the first time, and to also make quantitative evaluations of oxygen distribution. The study is the first to ever show the firefly's lantern in such detail, while also providing clear evidence that it is optimized for light emission thanks to the state-of-the-art techniques used by the scientists.