Glow ho ho: Field Museum showcases nature’s built-in holiday lights

The Field Museum is hosting a free Meet a Scientist open house that explores how some animals and fungi produce or re-emit light, a phenomenon known as bioluminescence and biofluorescence, offering visitors a chance to learn why woods and seas can glow during the holiday season, without the need to hang Christmas lights the way humans do.

Around the winter solstice, the program offers a natural-history lens on long nights and highlights biological ways animals and fungi brighten dark seasons without human-made lights, as reported by the Field Museum.

The event runs from 10 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, Dec. 17, in the Grainger Science Hub at the Field Museum, 1400 S. DuSable Lake Shore Dr. According to the museum’s press release, this illuminating event is open-house style so guests may drop in any time during the two-hour period.

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The museum announced that Caleb McMahan, PhD, Head of Zoology Collections at the Field Museum, will be available to speak with attendees and the press about how light-producing and light-reemitting species use illumination to survive.

Attendees can explore how creatures have evolved light for many purposes—from luring prey and camouflaging to signaling danger and attracting mates—and see examples that range from flying squirrels to fish and fungi, according to the Field Museum.

Invite press may RSVP by emailing the Field Museum’s team, and parking is available upon request; additionally, Wednesdays are free days for Illinois residents, the Field Museum noted in its press release.