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Coral identified as oldest bioluminescent organism, suggesting a new model of ancient ecology - EurekAlert


Using genetic discoveries based on modern bioluminescent organisms, Japanese scientists have estimated coral bioluminescence to have originated in the Cambrian period, about 540 million years ago. This finding makes corals the oldest known luminous organism, twice as old as earlier discoveries. Since eyes with light-sensitive photoreceptors also appeared in this period, their findings suggest early interspecies interactions using light.

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