1 00:00:39,820 --> 00:00:42,982 YASMIN MEEDA: I have seen bioluminescence only once and it 2 00:00:43,023 --> 00:00:45,986 was honestly the most magical thing that I have ever seen. 3 00:00:56,334 --> 00:00:58,912 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: It's a bucket list natural phenomenon every 4 00:00:58,974 --> 00:01:03,443 traveller would love to experience. Bioluminescent tides 5 00:01:03,584 --> 00:01:07,756 or sea sparkles are a rare and ethereal looking sight. And 6 00:01:07,816 --> 00:01:11,599 we're heading to the ocean to meet the strange species who use 7 00:01:11,681 --> 00:01:16,247 light to send signals through the dark. I'm Ranger Rosie 8 00:01:16,263 --> 00:01:20,786 Holdsworth. Welcome to Wild Tales, Bioluminescent Baywatch. 9 00:01:28,895 --> 00:01:32,099 You might have seen the pictures on Instagram of lagoons of 10 00:01:32,114 --> 00:01:35,333 electric blues and greens. People on the shore at night 11 00:01:35,514 --> 00:01:40,438 splashing in waves that look lit up as if by magic. This natural 12 00:01:40,457 --> 00:01:43,645 phenomenon is called a bioluminescent tide. 13 00:01:47,504 --> 00:01:51,996 So, what causes the sea to light up in this eerie way? What's it 14 00:01:52,043 --> 00:01:56,512 like to experience it? And why is Bioluminescence itself found 15 00:01:56,528 --> 00:02:01,684 in so many mysterious ocean creatures? To find out, we need 16 00:02:01,685 --> 00:02:05,638 to go down to the ocean where it's... Dark at night or in deep 17 00:02:05,919 --> 00:02:09,302 deep waters where light shows up in the pitch black. 18 00:02:14,528 --> 00:02:17,028 YASMIN MEEDA: I'm Yasmin Meeda, I'm a marine biologist by 19 00:02:17,091 --> 00:02:21,161 training and I'm now working as a postdoctoral researcher at 20 00:02:21,208 --> 00:02:22,192 Cranfield University. 21 00:02:23,270 --> 00:02:26,317 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Dr Yasmin Meeda who goes by Yaz is not 22 00:02:26,395 --> 00:02:29,989 your typical marine biologist. You might imagine people in 23 00:02:30,010 --> 00:02:33,371 Yaz's profession out in research boats, studying dolphins, 24 00:02:33,473 --> 00:02:38,035 turtles, fish or other big fauna of the seas. But Yaz is 25 00:02:38,074 --> 00:02:41,504 interested in something different. She specialises in a 26 00:02:41,543 --> 00:02:44,387 branch of marine biology called microbiology. 27 00:02:45,731 --> 00:02:47,824 YASMIN MEEDA: I deal with all the tiny hidden wonders of the 28 00:02:47,871 --> 00:02:50,590 ocean that nobody really thinks about. It's often overlooked. 29 00:02:51,449 --> 00:02:53,512 I'm really interested in understanding how these 30 00:02:53,574 --> 00:02:57,269 microbial life actually sustain all the bigger species in the 31 00:02:57,289 --> 00:03:00,471 ocean that we know and love, like whales and sharks. But we 32 00:03:00,512 --> 00:03:02,692 really need to understand these tiny organisms. 33 00:03:03,973 --> 00:03:06,380 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Yaz is usually found in her white coat in her 34 00:03:06,458 --> 00:03:10,364 lab, pouring over the little guys, the weird and wonderful 35 00:03:10,442 --> 00:03:13,278 hidden microscopic organisms that don't get a lot of love, 36 00:03:13,465 --> 00:03:16,200 but they're essential for all ocean life. 37 00:03:18,887 --> 00:03:22,669 Yaz has another great passion, to make sure science is for 38 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:23,372 everyone. 39 00:03:24,896 --> 00:03:26,657 YASMIN MEEDA: I'm really trying to champion the fact that 40 00:03:26,698 --> 00:03:30,562 science should be accessible to absolutely everyone. Myself, I 41 00:03:30,581 --> 00:03:33,382 actually failed my A-levels when I was at school. And then 42 00:03:33,468 --> 00:03:36,851 suddenly I really had a passion for science. And I believe that 43 00:03:37,007 --> 00:03:40,132 you don't have to have straight A's to actually get through and 44 00:03:40,148 --> 00:03:41,046 become a scientist. 45 00:03:42,155 --> 00:03:44,937 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Yaz's drive to open up science to more people 46 00:03:45,218 --> 00:03:47,374 led to her creating her Instagram account. 47 00:03:48,233 --> 00:03:50,921 YASMIN MEEDA: So I post on social media with a handle 48 00:03:51,077 --> 00:03:54,776 @marinebiologywithyaz. And it started just as showcasing to 49 00:03:54,816 --> 00:03:57,757 family and friends what I get up to. I mainly made this page to 50 00:03:57,776 --> 00:03:59,898 showcase the hidden wonders of the ocean. 51 00:04:00,757 --> 00:04:03,562 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: As a marine biologist, Yaz knows all about 52 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:08,343 bioluminescence. But she's only ever actually seen it once. And 53 00:04:08,344 --> 00:04:11,718 the experience has stayed with Yaz as one of the most memorable 54 00:04:11,733 --> 00:04:12,499 of her career. 55 00:04:15,905 --> 00:04:18,858 YASMIN MEEDA: I have seen bioluminescence. Only once. And 56 00:04:18,937 --> 00:04:23,628 it was honestly the most magical thing that I have ever seen. I'm 57 00:04:23,629 --> 00:04:26,351 an ambassador for the Marine Stewardship Council in the UK. 58 00:04:27,111 --> 00:04:30,935 We were fishing for sardines using ring net fishing. So this 59 00:04:30,954 --> 00:04:34,318 is a way to reduce bycatch so you're only fishing for what you 60 00:04:34,357 --> 00:04:34,560 want. 61 00:04:35,341 --> 00:04:38,622 I was fortunate enough to go out on a sardine fishing boat in 62 00:04:38,724 --> 00:04:42,794 Newlyn in Cornwall and I've never been on a fishing boat and 63 00:04:42,810 --> 00:04:46,216 as a marine biologist I'm always in the lab. I'm hardly ever out 64 00:04:46,232 --> 00:04:50,029 at sea so this was a really new experience for me. So we set off 65 00:04:50,138 --> 00:04:53,993 at around 8pm in the evening. And I was told it should be 66 00:04:54,034 --> 00:04:57,304 quite calm. It should be OK. But we're going out at night and 67 00:04:57,305 --> 00:04:59,030 we'll be back early hours of the morning. 68 00:05:01,100 --> 00:05:05,483 So there's me, never been even fishing before. And so I'm now 69 00:05:05,565 --> 00:05:08,307 on this fishing vessel that we're going out. We're going out 70 00:05:08,327 --> 00:05:11,034 quite far into the ocean. And I'm like, wow, there's nothing 71 00:05:11,073 --> 00:05:14,276 around me. It's pitch black. I could see the stars. I could see 72 00:05:14,277 --> 00:05:14,956 the milky way. 73 00:05:15,213 --> 00:05:18,159 I've never even seen that so vivid because obviously with 74 00:05:18,190 --> 00:05:23,377 light pollution, you can't see it. And as we were fishing, once 75 00:05:23,424 --> 00:05:27,862 they'd deployed the net, this is when I saw so many birds just 76 00:05:27,940 --> 00:05:30,842 coming down. And there were loads of seabirds, some 77 00:05:30,901 --> 00:05:33,983 seagulls, other species of birds I didn't even know. And it was 78 00:05:34,084 --> 00:05:34,686 so loud. 79 00:05:34,687 --> 00:05:38,248 The noise was just immense. And then as I was looking at these 80 00:05:38,287 --> 00:05:41,889 birds, I could see that they had these specks or these sparkles 81 00:05:41,912 --> 00:05:46,717 of a greeny blue hue. And I was like, this looks interesting. 82 00:05:47,154 --> 00:05:49,701 And then one of the fishermen was like, it's the phosphorus. 83 00:05:49,842 --> 00:05:50,764 It's the phosphorus. 84 00:05:51,358 --> 00:05:53,248 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Phosphorus is a chemical element that can 85 00:05:53,342 --> 00:05:57,326 sometimes glow in the dark. But Yaz knows what they're seeing is 86 00:05:57,420 --> 00:05:58,311 something different. 87 00:05:59,604 --> 00:06:01,766 YASMIN MEEDA: And I was like, what are you on about? And they 88 00:06:01,767 --> 00:06:03,889 were like, that's what we call it, the phosphorus. And I was 89 00:06:03,890 --> 00:06:07,530 like, no, I think that's bioluminescence. And they were 90 00:06:07,553 --> 00:06:10,334 like, oh, is that what it's called? And I said, yeah, I've 91 00:06:10,436 --> 00:06:14,256 never seen it in real life. I've only ever seen videos. The 92 00:06:14,436 --> 00:06:18,561 colour was definitely like a bluey-green. You only see 93 00:06:18,639 --> 00:06:21,202 bioluminescence when there's movement in the water. 94 00:06:21,764 --> 00:06:25,577 So as the waves are crashing and the birds are diving into the 95 00:06:25,608 --> 00:06:29,849 water, you then get this kind of different shades of this 96 00:06:30,229 --> 00:06:33,252 bioluminescence coming up and it's brighter in some areas and 97 00:06:33,271 --> 00:06:36,775 it's dimmer in others. And honestly it was just like an 98 00:06:36,877 --> 00:06:40,299 alien world to me because we were the only vessel I could see 99 00:06:40,658 --> 00:06:42,885 for a while. We were in the middle of the ocean I couldn't 100 00:06:42,900 --> 00:06:46,502 even see land and yet all around me were just these birds and 101 00:06:46,689 --> 00:06:48,908 bioluminescence and it was incredible. 102 00:06:50,314 --> 00:06:51,064 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Bioluminescent 103 00:06:51,127 --> 00:06:54,596 tides occur all around the world and some of the best known spots 104 00:06:54,736 --> 00:06:58,612 include beaches in Australia, Thailand, Puerto Rico and 105 00:06:58,632 --> 00:07:02,955 California. These sea sparkles also appear here in the UK. 106 00:07:04,198 --> 00:07:07,885 Wales has some of the most famous bioluminescent tides and 107 00:07:07,940 --> 00:07:11,268 it's found in other places too, like Yaz's experience in 108 00:07:11,307 --> 00:07:11,807 Cornwall. 109 00:07:16,916 --> 00:07:19,526 What you see in photos and videos can look a little 110 00:07:19,573 --> 00:07:22,838 different to with the naked eye, though no less magical to 111 00:07:22,870 --> 00:07:23,291 witness. 112 00:07:24,245 --> 00:07:27,933 YASMIN MEEDA: But I think what people see on photos or on 113 00:07:28,033 --> 00:07:32,299 documentaries can be slightly over-exaggerated. This is a 114 00:07:32,318 --> 00:07:34,662 little bit similar to my experience with the northern 115 00:07:34,717 --> 00:07:39,607 lights. I think your camera can really overexpose the green hue. 116 00:07:39,623 --> 00:07:42,662 You could definitely see it. And it was more like a, almost a 117 00:07:42,771 --> 00:07:43,662 neon green. 118 00:07:44,850 --> 00:07:46,818 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: We know bioluminescent tides look 119 00:07:46,896 --> 00:07:51,756 magical, but what exactly is happening? Bioluminescence, when 120 00:07:51,757 --> 00:07:54,459 an organism lights up from inside its body through a 121 00:07:54,475 --> 00:07:59,529 chemical reaction, is found in nature in certain species. In 122 00:07:59,530 --> 00:08:03,412 the case of tides like those Yaz saw, these are caused by a type 123 00:08:03,431 --> 00:08:05,412 of algae called dinoflagellates. 124 00:08:07,138 --> 00:08:10,982 In these dinoflagellates, bioluminescent light is created 125 00:08:11,021 --> 00:08:14,880 when two chemicals, luciferin and luciferase, interact with 126 00:08:14,927 --> 00:08:19,146 oxygen. This chemical reaction is triggered when water 127 00:08:19,193 --> 00:08:23,005 containing the dinoflagellates is disturbed, like when waves 128 00:08:23,052 --> 00:08:26,809 crash on the shore or when birds dive into the sea to catch fish. 129 00:08:29,473 --> 00:08:31,676 YASMIN MEEDA: Bioluminescence happens in loads of different 130 00:08:31,715 --> 00:08:35,016 organisms but in the ocean it is typically from dinoflagellates 131 00:08:35,079 --> 00:08:38,204 which are a group of phytoplankton and they are 132 00:08:38,205 --> 00:08:41,391 microscopic so you can't see them with the naked eye you'd 133 00:08:41,422 --> 00:08:44,891 need a microscope to see them normally. But when they create 134 00:08:44,954 --> 00:08:48,969 this bioluminescence you can see it as light and that's because 135 00:08:49,032 --> 00:08:52,500 there are thousands of them so collectively you'll be able to 136 00:08:52,563 --> 00:08:53,172 see this light. 137 00:08:55,944 --> 00:08:56,705 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Bioluminescent 138 00:08:56,765 --> 00:09:00,548 light isn't just found in these tiny dinoflagellates. It's found 139 00:09:00,549 --> 00:09:04,454 in lots of species, occasionally on land but by far most 140 00:09:04,509 --> 00:09:05,790 widespread in the ocean. 141 00:09:07,493 --> 00:09:09,697 YASMIN MEEDA: Fireflies are a really good example of 142 00:09:09,798 --> 00:09:13,603 bioluminescence and so they cause bioluminescence within 143 00:09:13,618 --> 00:09:16,400 themselves but I've never actually seen fireflies myself. 144 00:09:18,853 --> 00:09:22,790 The anglerfish that are found in the deep sea, I want to say ugly 145 00:09:22,837 --> 00:09:25,466 but maybe that's unfair. They're the ones that if you've seen 146 00:09:25,525 --> 00:09:28,688 Finding Nemo, it's got the big light on the end of its head. 147 00:09:29,751 --> 00:09:33,391 And the bacteria that are within these anglerfish are responsible 148 00:09:33,392 --> 00:09:36,454 for the Bioluminescence that you see. So that's how they can see 149 00:09:36,455 --> 00:09:38,798 in the dark when they're in the really deep sea. 150 00:09:42,907 --> 00:09:45,673 For different species, there could be different reasons as to 151 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:48,673 why they have bioluminescence. Sometimes it could be because of 152 00:09:48,688 --> 00:09:51,921 mating. So it could attract a mate. Or for the case of 153 00:09:51,941 --> 00:09:56,008 dinoflagellates in the ocean, it could be to deter a predator. 154 00:09:56,610 --> 00:09:58,813 And then that will deter the predator because they'll think, 155 00:09:59,090 --> 00:10:01,301 oh, there's something there and it will scare them off, which I 156 00:10:01,302 --> 00:10:02,098 think is pretty cool. 157 00:10:05,434 --> 00:10:07,455 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: And perhaps the most mysterious is the 158 00:10:07,574 --> 00:10:12,756 centuries-old story of milky seas. Sailors talked of an eerie 159 00:10:12,795 --> 00:10:15,732 phenomenon of looking out to the ocean at night and seeing it 160 00:10:15,756 --> 00:10:20,014 transformed, as if blowing ghostly white all the way to the 161 00:10:20,015 --> 00:10:20,537 horizon. 162 00:10:21,693 --> 00:10:25,537 In the 1990s, scientists looking at satellite images finally 163 00:10:25,584 --> 00:10:30,193 confirmed these milky seas were a type of Bioluminescence, this 164 00:10:30,256 --> 00:10:34,582 time caused by bacteria, and that the light could be seen all 165 00:10:34,583 --> 00:10:35,562 the way from space. 166 00:10:43,905 --> 00:10:47,764 Bioluminescent tides like in Yaz's story are relatively rare 167 00:10:48,288 --> 00:10:50,999 but they occur often enough for you to have a chance of 168 00:10:51,046 --> 00:10:55,405 witnessing them. So what are the top tips for seeing them for 169 00:10:55,421 --> 00:10:55,843 yourself? 170 00:10:57,186 --> 00:10:59,202 YASMIN MEEDA: My top tips if you want to see bioluminescence 171 00:10:59,203 --> 00:11:01,968 would definitely be to look out on the coast. There are certain 172 00:11:02,061 --> 00:11:05,891 areas within the UK that you could see it such as in Wales 173 00:11:05,993 --> 00:11:08,075 I'd definitely say Cornwall is a really good spot. 174 00:11:08,395 --> 00:11:11,458 My experience was not from the shore so I don't know how 175 00:11:11,618 --> 00:11:14,321 prominent it will be if you're just watching from a beach and 176 00:11:14,322 --> 00:11:17,266 want to go and hunt for it. But if you can get on a boat and go 177 00:11:17,321 --> 00:11:20,141 and explore I think definitely looking at either Facebook 178 00:11:20,188 --> 00:11:23,516 groups or looking online at different travel blogs or 179 00:11:23,954 --> 00:11:27,032 Instagram or TikTok I think you could definitely find it and 180 00:11:27,110 --> 00:11:29,688 spot it from there. 181 00:11:29,751 --> 00:11:32,204 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: I've seen bioluminescence myself just one 182 00:11:32,235 --> 00:11:36,657 time, on land. In glowworms' shining green bums in Leeds. It 183 00:11:36,678 --> 00:11:40,342 was really, really magical. But I've never seen bioluminescent 184 00:11:40,401 --> 00:11:43,448 tides in the ocean. They're really high on my bucket list. 185 00:11:44,565 --> 00:11:48,432 The fact this phenomenon even exists reminds us that our world 186 00:11:48,510 --> 00:11:51,729 is still so full of mystery and wonder. 187 00:11:57,901 --> 00:12:00,245 YASMIN MEEDA: I think the fact that bioluminescence is really 188 00:12:00,338 --> 00:12:06,139 unique is something that I think is quite alien to the world. And 189 00:12:06,498 --> 00:12:08,760 for me, I think that's one of the most amazing things about 190 00:12:08,823 --> 00:12:12,647 evolution and just the natural world, is that these things have 191 00:12:12,686 --> 00:12:16,327 just sprung up in nature based on either it could attract a 192 00:12:16,350 --> 00:12:18,498 mate, it could deter predators. 193 00:12:19,405 --> 00:12:21,561 And so I just think it's absolutely incredible that 194 00:12:21,952 --> 00:12:25,123 different organisms have such different traits that help them 195 00:12:25,170 --> 00:12:26,452 survive in our planet. 196 00:12:35,298 --> 00:12:37,160 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: If you'd like to look for bioluminescence for 197 00:12:37,179 --> 00:12:40,584 yourself, do search for groups dedicated to spotting it along 198 00:12:40,585 --> 00:12:44,346 the Welsh coast and other parts of the UK. Just please don't do 199 00:12:44,385 --> 00:12:47,447 anything daft and follow safety advice when you're mixing with 200 00:12:47,510 --> 00:12:48,971 water, tides and the dark. 201 00:12:50,252 --> 00:12:54,096 Summer is a great time to see the UK's glowworms. You can find 202 00:12:54,158 --> 00:12:57,783 out more about them in our episode show notes. Until next 203 00:12:57,799 --> 00:13:01,783 time, follow Wild Tales on your podcast app. Find us on 204 00:13:01,830 --> 00:13:05,992 Instagram @wildtalesnt. And share your stories with us with 205 00:13:06,091 --> 00:13:09,295 #wildtaleswednesday. See you next time.