Bioluminescence is the remarkable ability of living organisms — such as luminous dinoflagellates — to produce visible light. The dinoflagellates act as unique flow markers because they light up only when particular levels of shear stress are present. In a new study, they have been used to monitor the flow dynamics around swimming dolphins. By integrating information from field studies with image-intensified videos of bioluminescence, the authors have interpreted some of the characteristics of water flow over these animals.
