Twinkle twinkle little star… or is it a firefly? Fireflies are one of the favorite insects of the Western world thanks to the soft light they produce at day’s end. But this magical glow serves more important purposes for a firefly than enchanting gardeners. It is also their means of communicating as well as keeping predators at bay. Because of that, fireflies and light pollution are a dangerous mix, resulting in the population of fireflies dying off. Firefly larvae are beneficial predators that feed on snails and slugs, and are important in the food cycle both as predators and as prey. They are a factor in the control of pests in crops and gardens. Their brightly lit chemical reaction involving the enzyme luciferase has helped scientific researchers learn about cell interactions, leading to major medical advances, detection of bacterial infections and development of health related drugs that fight disease. While […]
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