In a groundbreaking study, researchers have uncovered the ancient origins of bioluminescence, tracing the ability to emit light back to approximately 540 million years ago. This finding challenges the existing belief that bioluminescence emerged in small marine crustaceans around 267 million years ago.
The researchers arrived at this conclusion based on recent octocoral evolutionary tree work, octocoral fossils, and modeling to trace the ancestral past of these tiny organisms. The study reveals that bioluminescence is thought to have evolved nearly 100 times throughout history, resulting from a simple chemical reaction involving a light-producing molecule called luciferin and an enzyme called luciferase.