When one thinks about cold heat, bioluminescence is probably one of the first things that come to their mind. Bioluminescence is defined as the production and emission of light by a living organism as the result of a chemical reaction during which chemical energy is converted to light energy. It is created by a reaction between luciferin and luciferase, which are a protein and an enzyme, and oxygen. Bioluminescence is a form of cold heat because it is almost 100% efficient: converting nearly all of the energy created from the reaction into light instead of heat or sound.
This insect is bioluminescent, because it produces and emits a light for the purpose of mating. If this insect is producing enough heat to nearly burn a human, it can be assumed that it had some type of problem: inefficiency of cells. If the chemical reaction is inefficient, it means that it would not convert as much energy into light and instead release an unusual amount of heat energy. Since it is hot enough to almost burn the skin of a human, it outlines an exothermic reaction, which is also a combusting reaction in this situation. Combustion is a chemical change accompanied by the production of heat and light. In this situation, the insect is not hot enough to fully combust, but if it emitted enough heat, it would.
Bibliography:
"Bioluminescence." Science Daily: News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment & Technology. Web. 30 Oct. 2011.
"Cold Fire in the Sea - Bioluminescence." ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research Home. Web. 30 Oct. 2011.
"Conversion Efficiency of a PV Cell." Inventors. Web. 31 Oct. 2011.
"What Is Combustion?" Physics Help and Math Help - Physics Forums. Web. 02 Nov. 2011.
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