Naturalists in antiquity worked hard to dispel fanciful ideas about the meaning of living lights, but remained bewildered by them. Even Charles Darwin was perplexed by the chaotic diversity of luminous organisms, which he found difficult to reconcile with his evolutionary theory. It fell to naturalists and scientists to make sense of the dazzling displays of fireflies and other organisms. In Luminous Creatures Michel Anctil shows how mythical perceptions of bioluminescence gradually gave way to a scientific understanding of its mechanisms, functions, and evolution, and to the recognition of its usefulness for biomedical and other applied fields. Following the rise of the modern scientific method and the circumnavigations and oceanographic expeditions of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, biologists began to realize the diversity of bioluminescence's expressions in light organs and ecological imprints, and how widespread it is on the planet. By the end of the nineteenth century an understanding of the chemical nature and physiological control of the phenomenon was at hand. Technological developments led to an explosion of knowledge on the ecology, evolution, and molecular biology of bioluminescence. Luminous Creatures tracks these historical events and illuminates the lives and the trail-blazing accomplishments of the scientists involved. It offers a unique window into the awe-inspiring, phantasmagorical world of light-producing organisms, viewed from the perspectives of casual observers and scientists alike.

About the Author
Michel Anctil is honorary professor of biology at Universite de Montreal and author of Dawn of the Neuron: The Early Struggles to Trace the Origin of Nervous Systems.

Reviews
"A fresh and welcome perspective on bioluminescence knowledge, especially before the Second World War, Luminous Creatures provides a window into the evolution of a fascinating aspect of natural history through recorded time." James Morin, Cornell University
"Engagingly written and informative, Luminous Creatures covers the history of observations and research in connection with the phenomenon of bioluminescence through the ages, providing the reader not only with a chronology of scientific advances in the field but also with glimpses into the lives of some of the key researchers of living lights." Victor Benno Meyer-Rochow, Research Institute of Luminous Organisms, Hachijojima, Tokyo
"Enlightenment is the through-line in Michel Anctil's intelligent new book on the history and science of light production in living organisms. After all, what is science, if not a journey from the darkness into the light? A probing of the mysteries of nature, through our specimens. It is exactly this sort of probing that Anctil writes about in Luminous Creatures, most radiantly. It is just as much about how real science is done. Its rich, variegated material will surely be dredged up and mined for shimmering treasures not only by future generations of scientists, but also by artists and writers, who, if they brave the science and stay with this book, may be similarly rewarded." Literary Review of Canada
"Luminous Creatures provides an unparalleled holistic narrative of the development of oceanography as a scientific practice, the characters that drove the efforts, and the animals that they studied. [It] is profoundly well researched, is scientifically ac
"This book is as much about the "luminaries" behind the major finds about light-producing organisms as the organisms themselves, and that in large part is why it is such a compelling read. Recommended." Choice
"This work highlights how small the historiography of marine biology still is and how much space for expansion is available; Anctil is the first to tell many of these stories." Journal of the History of Biology



Book Information
ISBN 9780773553125
Author Michel Anctil
Format Hardback
Page Count 488
Imprint McGill-Queen's University Press
Publisher McGill-Queen's University Press