Bioluminescent Creatures Put on a Glow-in-the-Dark Spectacle

Reminiscent of those glow-in-the-dark stars we pasted over our ceilings as kids, the creatures featured in the upcoming 'Creatures of Light: Nature’s Bioluminescence' exhibit each shine with an eerie, natural light.

The exhibit, held at the New York American Museum of Natural History, will contain live bioluminescent organisms, as well as scale models. Bioluminescence, the production of light by a living organism, looks like something out of a sci-fi movie but is in fact an essential function, allowing these animals to catch prey. On occasion, it may also catch a mate or two.

Open from March 31, 2012 to January 6, 2013, the exhibit will explore the astounding variety of ways nature uses living light. Attendees can expect to bask in the glow of fireflies, mushrooms, scorpions, and much more.

[via Wired]