The mystery of light emitted from the human body while alive

It turns out that the idea that humans emit light is not just a poetic fantasy. (Photo: Dreamstime).

A new study by scientists at the University of Calgary and the National Research Council of Canada has gathered physical evidence that living organisms emit visible light that only disappears after the organism dies.

This faint light is called ultraweak photon emission (UPE), and is produced by chemical reactions inside cells. Although these biophotons are too faint to be seen with the naked eye, they are real and scientists have observed them in real time.

Biophotons are not a new concept, although they are often overlooked. Biophotons are different from other familiar forms of bioluminescence (such as glowing jellyfish or glowing barrelfish), and are emitted by cells when the body is dealing with a stressful or damaging situation.

However, this study is the first time scientists have hypothesized that the human body also glows.

This light is emitted as a byproduct of metabolism, which sometimes produces high-energy reactions capable of releasing light.

New research focuses on whether this phenomenon occurs throughout an entire living organism or just in certain cells.

To test this, the scientists placed live mice in completely dark imaging chambers and used highly sensitive cameras to capture their biophoton emissions.

After about an hour, the mice were euthanized, but their bodies were kept warm to eliminate the effects of temperature. They continued to be photographed for another hour. The results of the imaging and analysis showed that the photon emission decreased significantly after death.

The same thing happened when scientists looked at the leaves of watercress and umbrella plants. The injured parts of the plants glowed brighter than the healthy parts. This, the researchers say, is clear evidence that the stress response of life drives the emission.

The idea that the human body glows may sound unbelievable, but the study shows that it is a real, measurable biological phenomenon.

If these emissions reflect the body's stress and cellular health, understanding the phenomenon could one day serve as a medical diagnostic tool, providing a noninvasive way to monitor health, detect injuries, or even study the aging process.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/khoa-hoc/bi-an-anh-sang-phat-ra-tu-co-the-con-nguoi-khi-con-song-20250516000753370.htm