“YOU’RE glowing” is what some people tell others when they look particularly happy or beautiful. But is it true that our bodies literally glow too?
Verdict:
TRUE
It’s true - you do shine, literally!
Humans do glow or emit light on our own, but the light is a thousand times weaker than our eyes can see.
In 2009, Japanese scientists were able to capture the first ever pictures of "glittering" human bodies or human "bioluminescence".
“Although it has been known for many years that all living creatures produce a small amount of light as a result of chemical reactions within their cells, this is the first time light produced by humans has been captured on camera,” reads an article on The Guardian news website.
While ultra-sensitive cameras reveal that our bodies emit tiny amounts of light, it is at a low level that is unlikely to serve any evolutionary purpose in humans, it added.
“But when emitted more strongly by animals such as fireflies, glow-worms and deep-sea fish, it can be used to attract mates and for illumination,” it reads.
So why do we glow?
It’s the chemical reactions within our body, besides liberating energy and producing heat, which are emitting small numbers of photons, or elementary particles of light, according to an article published in the National Geographic website in 2009.
“The glow is strongest in the late afternoon, and around the lower part of your face,” it reads.
Masaki Kobayashi from the Tohoku Institute of Technology, as one of the scientists who managed to capture the glow from humans, managed to photograph the dim glow of humans using an incredibly sensitive camera, able to detect the dimmest of lights.
“Previous cameras took more than an hour to record a decent image but Kobayashi’s camera is so sensitive that it can detect light at the level of a single photon.
“Even so, using it is tricky. The camera needs to be kept at -120 degrees Celsius and sealed in a completely light-tight room.
“The person being filmed also needs to be in complete darkness, as well as naked and very clean,” read the article.
This is to avoid clothing or grime on the body obscuring the light particles being emitted.
In his study, Kobayashi recruited five volunteers and took photos of them every three hours between 10am and 10pm, for three days.
Kobayashi believes that the glow comes from chemical reactions that produce free radicals - atoms or molecules that have a lone, isolated electron.
“His photos reveal that our faces are the shiniest parts of our bodies, with our mouths and cheeks glowing particularly brightly,” read the article.
References:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/photographing-the-glow-of-the-human-body
https://www.livescience.com/7799-strange-humans-glow-visible-light.html
https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2009/jul/17/human-bioluminescence
