"Glow in the Dark" Reefs Revealed
November 29, 2012 - In the remote Pacific, two National Geographic explorers are using advanced technology to track down a rare biofluorescent protein that would boost human brain science.
Transcript
In the warm waters of the Pacific....a stunning bio-fluorescent garden....
I'm Lucie McNeil and this is National Geographic On Assignment, .your link you to thousands of Nat Geo Explorers in the field.
Today, we're off to the Solomon Islands, where National Geographic's David Gruber and John Sparks used custom cameras and lights to capture amazing footage around the coral reefs.
Special proteins in the fish and coral allow them to absorb light and re-emit it as other colors, a process called biofluorescence.
These glowing proteins can help medical doctors in disease and brain research, by illuminating certain cells in the body.
David's team hopes to find a very specific infrared protein. If successful, scientists may be able to track the inner workings of our brains.
That's National Geographic On Assignment---your link to our Explorers.
