How to Use bioluminescence in a Sentence

bioluminescence

noun
  • But be sure to return after dark, when the bioluminescence seems to make the plants come to life.
    — Marjie Lambert, miamiherald, 30 May 2017
  • Their bioluminescence is a phase in the mating ritual at the end of which the eggs are laid.
    — Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 7 Nov. 2021
  • In the darkness, many make their own light with bioluminescence.
    — Lauren Sommer, NPR, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Want to increase your chances of spotting the next bioluminescence event?
    — Los Angeles Times, 17 Nov. 2022
  • That strong showing also bodes well for more nights with bioluminescence.
    — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024
  • This makes nighttime sights like the stars and the ocean’s bioluminescence much more visible.
    — Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 22 Dec. 2025
  • Fireflies produce their own light to attract mates in a process called bioluminescence.
    — Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Oct. 2023
  • The team believes that the fish can also use its bioluminescence to avoid being eaten.
    — Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 May 2022
  • This makes nighttime sights like the stars, and the ocean’s bioluminescence, much more visible.
    — Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 3 Dec. 2024
  • The red tides are unpredictable and not all produce a bioluminescence.
    — CBS News, 9 May 2018
  • This is the basis of bioluminescence, which is when living organisms emit light.
    — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2021
  • Here, wild horses roam free, waves glimmer with bioluminescence, and dramatic black sands await.
    — Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 2 Jan. 2026
  • Sprecher said the study highlights how much remains unknown about bioluminescence across species.
    — Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2026
  • To help understand why milky seas form, researchers have gotten much better at spotting these swaths of bioluminescence from the skies.
    — K.e.d. Coan, Ars Technica, 30 July 2022
  • One of their most distinctive traits is bioluminescence.
    — Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
  • Bloodworms dart in front of flashlights and green bioluminescence appears with motion in the total darkness.
    — Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 17 Aug. 2025
  • Lead author Burford found that the Humboldt squid’s use of bioluminescence is unique.
    — Hannah Knighton, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Apr. 2020
  • Past research by Widder suggests that the bioluminescence can act as a sort of burglar alarm, among other functions.
    — Mark Schrope, Scientific American, 14 Jan. 2013
  • In the darkest depths of the sea, the few animals that live there sometimes generate their own light through the remarkable process of bioluminescence.
    — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, 10 May 2019
  • Tours range from a daytime focus on wildlife to a sunset paddle to a starlight bioluminescence adventure, run from two to three hours, and all depart from right from their dock out front.
    — San Francisco Chronicle, 1 July 2021
  • Additionally, the scientists noticed that the seals appeared to use some form of bioluminescence to see in the dark.
    — Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 17 June 2022
  • The idea is that the bioluminescence produced by some prey when they are attacked may serve to attract larger predators — such a giant squid — that will then eat the attacker.
    — Mark Schrope, Scientific American, 14 Jan. 2013
  • The chemical signals come from bioluminescence, meaning that the robot is designed to sense the light from the bacteria.
    — John Wenz, Popular Mechanics, 17 July 2015
  • The bioluminescence is the result of a chemical reaction similar to that of a glow stick, which gives the waves a stunning blue-green glow when disturbed.
    — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY, 22 Sep. 2017
  • Tours run from May to October, but Buzzi says the best nights for viewing the bioluminescence are the darkest nights.
    — Sarah Sekula, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2021
  • Researchers tested 200 species in the lab, finding that at least half of them showed some sort of bioluminescence, Wahlquist reports.
    — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 20 June 2017
  • His images from the shower caught shooting stars, the Milky Way, glowing bioluminescence and a ship on the horizon that looks like the sunset.
    — Mark Graves | , oregonlive, 13 Aug. 2023
  • This phenomenon, known as the milky seas, is due to the bioluminescence of the bacteria Vibrio fischeri.
    — New York Times, 7 May 2020
  • The bright blue bioluminescence visible to nighttime visitors is even more dramatic against the darkness during a new moon.
    — Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 30 Jan. 2026
  • Two of the women, who have never spoken to each other, compared him to an anglerfish, the deep-sea predator that uses a bulb of bioluminescence to lure prey into its jaws.
    — Lila Shapiro, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bioluminescence.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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