Bacterial bioluminescence is very common in marine environments, and endlessly fascinating.  As you can see from the #LuxSelfie to the left, this wonderful living light in the darkness really helps attract student interest.  In addition, we have been putting on workshops for some time where people "paint" with a bacterial culture onto nutrient medium in plates; the result is our beloved #LuxArt.  This mixture of microbiology and art is wonderful way to encourage better #MicrobialPR, and is an unusual artform in its own right (as you can see elsewhere on this website).

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In addition, we continue to be interested in the role that bioluminescence plays in free living microbes, such as Photobacterium leignothi.  As you can see on the left, under some conditions the bacteria generate variants that produce different levels of light.  Is it a stress response?  Survival mechanism on a biochemical level?  Regardless, we enjoy working with these lovely organisms in dark places!