Living beings emit light when alive, which vanishes once we die, a new study claims

Living beings may literally be full of light. This assertion was made by researchers from the University of Calgary and the National Research Council of Canada and published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. However, evidence of this light is yet to be spotted in humans, but it has been detected in mice and leaves of two different plant species. Researchers explain this light as a biophoton phenomenon, which supposedly ceases after death. More work is required to identify this phenomenon, as even the visible wavelength of this light is so faint that it gets overpowered by the shine produced from ambient electromagnetic waves in the environment and the radiant heat of metabolism.

Biophoton rising from bodies

It is the first time researchers have garnered physical evidence of biophotons being emitted from living beings, according to Science Alert. University of Calgary physicist Vahid Salari and his team claim that the phenomenon is an ultraweak photon emission (UPE), produced through biological processes. Over the years, several biological processes have been speculated as capable of displaying light as chemiluminescence. Experts have also recorded light waves measuring between 200 and 1,000 nanometers in length from reactions in a variety of living cells within cow heart tissue and bacterial colonies. Researchers believe that UPE could be the consequence of responses given by living cells when triggered by poisons, heat, pathogens, and a lack of nutrients. 

Help in diagnosis and aging

Researchers present a hypothetical situation to explain the phenomenon. Reaction between materials like fat and protein, along with molecules of hydrogen peroxide, could undergo changes that trigger their electrons to release an energetic photon. If experts can figure out the relationship between these photons and stress, they can use it as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for living beings. They applied electron-multiplying charge-coupled device and charge-coupled device cameras in their evaluation to understand if the release of photons can be observed in whole bodies, rather than just isolated cells. This equipment monitored the subjects both when they were alive and when they were dead.

Light through the chamber

For their evaluation, the team placed live mice into completely dark imaging chambers and monitored their biophoton emissions through high-sensitivity cameras, according to BGR. After an hour in the chamber, the mice were euthanized, but were kept warm, to ensure that any light coming or not coming from them was not due to a drop in temperature. Researchers observed that photon emissions reduced remarkably after the death of mice. The same pattern was seen in leaves from thale cress and umbrella trees. In this case, though, another noteworthy feature came forward: the injured parts glowed more in comparison to the uninjured parts.

It was clear evidence that stress on living cells was triggering the emission. Experts suggested, through these findings, that the light could be used to monitor signs of aging. As living beings grow older, more cells undergo stress. If professionals can find a way to determine how to detect this stress through light, they can quickly resolve it, providing humans with a more vibrant existence.