While vacationing on the Maldives Islands Islands, Taiwanese photographer Will
Ho stumbled onto an incredible stretch of beach covered in millions of
bioluminescent phytoplankton. These tiny organisms glow similarly to fireflies
and tend to emit light when stressed, such as when wave’s crash or when they
are otherwise agitated. While the phenomenon and its chemical mechanisms have
been identified for some time, biologists have only recently begun to
understand the reasons behind it. You can see a few more of Ho’s photographs
over on Flickr. Via Charismatic Planet
