In this situation, the bug would have to be using bioluminescence, a "cold light", instead of actually emitting energy as heat. Bioluminescence is a cold light because instead of, in the case of electrical light, only using 3% of the energy to produce light, it uses almost 100%, wasting nothing. For this reason, it doesn't emit wasted energy as heat. There are three parts to conducting bioluminescence, oxygen, luciferin, and luciferase. Because this particular bug is not cool to the touch, we can assume it doesn't use all of the energy it produces in order to create light. If it is hot enough to burn your skin, the bug is probably wasting a good amount of energy and creating more heat then light. This means that it is a combusting or exothermic reaction. If the bug continued to emit more heat then its body could handle, it would eventually combust. In this specific situation, we can tell that the bug is not producing enough heat to be able to produce a combustion.
De Leon, N. "Combustion Reactions." Indiana University Northwest Chemistry. Indiana University Northwest. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. .
"LIGHTS ALIVE: About Bioluminescence." Visit TheNAT, the San Diego Natural History Museum--Your Nature Connection in Balboa Park! San Diego Natural History Museum. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. .
Litteral, Linda. "Bioluminescence in Marine Animals." Dive Training Magazine. DTMag. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. .
4 comments:
I disagree because I believe the bug rusted and heated up a bit from the reaction between oxygen and iron.
However, your theory: the bug is inefficient and wasting energy to make heat, versus light, could make sense. Because if it was wasting all of it's energy emitting light, then the color could be red since it's neon when it's cooler and lighter (close to red) when it's hotter.
I agree with your idea about how bioluminescence is the key in the bug lighting up. I also agree that the reason the bug was hot to the touch was because the bug was not efficient during the chemical reaction therefore emitting heat.
I disagree with your idea that the bug will eventually combust if it keeps heating up, as the temperature that it would need to reach in order to do so, is far greater than it has the capability to reach. The energy that the bug is emitting is divided into the energy emitted through light and the energy it emits through warmth. It no longer has any energy left in order to combust.
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