Thailand Beach. Image by Alexander Huang via Unsplash. The enchanting glow observed at certain beaches is primarily caused by microscopic marine organisms called dinoflagellates, particularly species ...

Unlike the flickering blue bursts from dinoflagellates triggered by motion, milky seas likely result from high concentrations of Vibrio harveyi, a bioluminescent bacterium that glows steadily. In a ...

The role of milky seas in the ecosystemMilky seas are different from the more common bioluminescent ocean events caused by a type of phytoplankton known as dinoflagellates. These organisms emit a ...

And that’s because technically, it doesn’t. The lights are the result of moving bioluminescent plankton, called dinoflagellates. When these are agitated, they emit a blue-green glow.

Off the coast of Florida, for example, single-celled organisms called dinoflagellates can create this glow. When they are disturbed, such as by a paddle or hand running through the water ...

Unlike the brief flashes of light caused by disturbed dinoflagellates (the common form of marine bioluminescence), milky seas create a continuous glow that can persist for nights on end. The paper ...

A yellow poison dart frog (Dendrobatidae) hiding in the aquarium substrate. Image via Betty Wills (Atsme), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 ...