The loves and lies of fireflies
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0:01 - 0:04As a scientist, and also as a human being,
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0:04 - 0:06I've been trying to make myself
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0:06 - 0:09susceptible to wonder.
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0:09 - 0:12I think Jason Webley last night called it
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0:12 - 0:16"conspiring to be part of the magic."
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0:16 - 0:19So it's fortunate that my career as a biologist
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0:19 - 0:22lets me dive deeply into the lives
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0:22 - 0:24of some truly wondrous creatures
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0:24 - 0:27that share our planet:
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0:27 - 0:28fireflies.
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0:28 - 0:31Now, for many of you, I know that fireflies
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0:31 - 0:33might conjure up some really great memories:
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0:33 - 0:37childhood, summertime,
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0:37 - 0:38even other TED Talks.
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0:38 - 0:42Maybe something like this.
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0:45 - 0:48My seduction into the world of fireflies
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0:48 - 0:52began when I was back in graduate school.
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0:52 - 0:54One evening, I was sitting out in my backyard
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0:54 - 0:56in North Carolina,
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0:56 - 1:02and suddenly, these silent sparks
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1:02 - 1:04rose up all around me,
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1:04 - 1:05and I began to wonder:
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1:05 - 1:08How do these creatures make light,
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1:08 - 1:09and what's with all this flashing?
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1:09 - 1:11Are they talking to one another?
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1:11 - 1:14And what happens after the lights go out?
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1:14 - 1:16I've been lucky enough to answer
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1:16 - 1:17some of these questions
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1:17 - 1:21as I've explored this nocturnal world.
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1:21 - 1:23Now if you've ever seen
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1:23 - 1:26or even heard about fireflies,
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1:26 - 1:28then you'll know how magically they can transform
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1:28 - 1:31our everyday landscape into something
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1:31 - 1:33ethereal and otherworldly,
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1:33 - 1:34and this happens around the globe,
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1:34 - 1:37like this hillside in the Smoky Mountains
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1:37 - 1:41that I saw transformed into a living cascade of light
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1:41 - 1:45by the eerie glows of these blue ghost fireflies,
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1:45 - 1:48or a roadside river that I visited in Japan
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1:48 - 1:52as it was giving birth to the slow, floating flashes
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1:52 - 1:55of these Genji fireflies,
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1:55 - 1:57or in Malaysia, the mangrove trees
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1:57 - 2:00that I watched blossom nightly
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2:00 - 2:01not with flowers
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2:01 - 2:04but with the lights of a thousand —
(Bleep! Bleep!) — fireflies, -
2:04 - 2:05all blinking together
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2:05 - 2:08in stunning synchrony.
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2:08 - 2:11These luminous landscapes
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2:11 - 2:13still fill me with wonder,
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2:13 - 2:15and they keep me connected to the magic
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2:15 - 2:18of the natural world.
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2:18 - 2:19And I find it amazing that they're created
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2:19 - 2:23by these tiny insects.
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2:23 - 2:26In person, fireflies are charming.
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2:26 - 2:27They're charismatic.
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2:27 - 2:29They've been celebrated in art
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2:29 - 2:32and in poetry for centuries.
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2:32 - 2:33As I've traveled around the world,
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2:33 - 2:35I've met many thoughtful people
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2:35 - 2:38who have told me that God put fireflies on Earth
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2:38 - 2:40for humans to enjoy.
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2:40 - 2:42Other creatures can enjoy them too.
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2:42 - 2:47I think these graceful insects are truly miraculous
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2:47 - 2:51because they so beautifully illuminate
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2:51 - 2:55the creative improvisation of evolution.
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2:55 - 2:57They've been shaped by two powerful
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2:57 - 2:58evolutionary forces:
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2:58 - 3:02natural selection, the struggle for survival,
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3:02 - 3:04and sexual selection,
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3:04 - 3:08the struggle for reproductive opportunity.
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3:08 - 3:11As a firefly junkie, the past 20 years
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3:11 - 3:13have been quite an exciting ride.
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3:13 - 3:15Together with my students at Tufts University
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3:15 - 3:17and other colleagues,
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3:17 - 3:20we've made lots of new discoveries about fireflies:
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3:20 - 3:22their courtship and sex lives,
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3:22 - 3:25their treachery and murder.
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3:25 - 3:27So today I'd like to share with you
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3:27 - 3:29just a couple of tales that we've brought back
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3:29 - 3:32from our collective adventures
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3:32 - 3:35into this hidden world.
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3:35 - 3:39Fireflies belong to a very beautiful
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3:39 - 3:43and diverse group of insects, the beetles.
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3:43 - 3:48Worldwide, there are more than 2,000 firefly species,
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3:48 - 3:50and these have evolved remarkably diverse
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3:50 - 3:51courtship signals,
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3:51 - 3:55that is, different ways to find and attract mates.
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3:55 - 3:57Around 150 million years ago,
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3:57 - 4:00the very first fireflies probably looked like this.
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4:00 - 4:01They flew during the daytime
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4:01 - 4:04and they didn't light up.
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4:04 - 4:07Instead, males used their fantastic antennae
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4:07 - 4:11to sniff out perfumes given off by their females.
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4:11 - 4:15In other fireflies, it's only the females who light up.
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4:15 - 4:19They are attractively plump and wingless,
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4:19 - 4:21so every night, they climb up onto perches
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4:21 - 4:23and they glow brightly for hours
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4:23 - 4:28to attract their flying but unlit males.
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4:28 - 4:30In still other fireflies, both sexes
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4:30 - 4:33use quick, bright flashes to find their mates.
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4:33 - 4:35Here in North America,
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4:35 - 4:38we have more than 100 different kinds of firefly
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4:38 - 4:41that have the remarkable ability to shine energy
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4:41 - 4:44out from their bodies
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4:44 - 4:46in the form of light.
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4:46 - 4:48How do they do that?
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4:48 - 4:50It seems totally magical,
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4:50 - 4:52but these bioluminescent signals
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4:52 - 4:55arise from carefully orchestrated chemical reactions
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4:55 - 4:58that happen inside the firefly lantern.
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4:58 - 5:01The main star is an enzyme called luciferase,
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5:01 - 5:03which in the course of evolution
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5:03 - 5:06has figured out a way to wrap its tiny arms
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5:06 - 5:10around an even smaller molecule called luciferin,
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5:10 - 5:12in the process getting it so excited
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5:12 - 5:16that it actually gives off light.
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5:16 - 5:18Incredible.
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5:18 - 5:19But how could these bright lights
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5:19 - 5:23have benefited some proto-firefly?
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5:23 - 5:26To answer this question, we need to flip back
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5:26 - 5:30in the family album to some baby pictures.
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5:30 - 5:34Fireflies completely reinvent
their bodies as they grow. -
5:34 - 5:36They spend the vast majority of their lifetime,
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5:36 - 5:38up to two years,
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5:38 - 5:41in this larval form.
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5:41 - 5:43Their main goal here, like my teenagers,
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5:43 - 5:46is to eat and grow.
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5:46 - 5:48And firefly light first originated
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5:48 - 5:50in these juveniles.
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5:50 - 5:53Every single firefly larva can light up,
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5:53 - 5:56even when their adults can't.
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5:56 - 5:57But what's the point
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5:57 - 6:01to being so conspicuous?
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6:01 - 6:02Well, we know that these juveniles
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6:02 - 6:04make nasty-tasting chemicals
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6:04 - 6:08that help them survive their extended childhood,
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6:08 - 6:12so we think these lights first evolved as a warning,
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6:12 - 6:16a neon sign that says, "Toxic! Stay away!"
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6:16 - 6:19to any would-be predators.
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6:19 - 6:22It took many millions of years
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6:22 - 6:23before these bright lights
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6:23 - 6:26evolved into a smart communication tool
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6:26 - 6:29that could be used not just to
ward off potential predators -
6:29 - 6:32but to bring in potential mates.
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6:32 - 6:35Driven now by sexual selection,
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6:35 - 6:37some adult fireflies
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6:37 - 6:39like this proud male
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6:39 - 6:43evolved a shiny new glow-in-the-dark lantern
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6:43 - 6:45that would let them take courtship
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6:45 - 6:48to a whole new level.
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6:48 - 6:51These adults only live a few weeks,
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6:51 - 6:56and now they're single-mindedly focused on sex,
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6:56 - 6:58that is, on propelling their genes
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6:58 - 7:01into the next firefly generation.
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7:01 - 7:04So we can follow this male out into the field
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7:04 - 7:07as he joins hundreds of other males
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7:07 - 7:11who are all showing off their new courtship signals.
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7:11 - 7:14It's amazing to think that the luminous displays
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7:14 - 7:16we admire
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7:16 - 7:18here and in fact everywhere around the world
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7:18 - 7:22are actually the silent love songs
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7:22 - 7:25of male fireflies.
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7:25 - 7:30They're flying and flashing their hearts out.
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7:30 - 7:33I still find it very romantic.
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7:33 - 7:36But meanwhile, where are all the females?
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7:36 - 7:38Well, they're lounging down below
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7:38 - 7:40surveying their options.
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7:40 - 7:42They have plenty of males to choose from,
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7:42 - 7:46and these females turn out to be very picky.
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7:46 - 7:48When a female sees a flash
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7:48 - 7:51from an especially attractive male,
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7:51 - 7:54she'll aim her lantern in his direction,
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7:54 - 7:56and give him a flash back.
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7:56 - 8:00It's her "come hither" sign.
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8:00 - 8:03So he flies closer and he flashes again.
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8:03 - 8:04If she still likes him,
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8:04 - 8:08they'll strike up a conversation.
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8:08 - 8:10These creatures speak their love
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8:10 - 8:13in the language of light.
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8:13 - 8:18So what exactly do these females consider sexy?
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8:18 - 8:21We decided to conduct some firefly opinion polls
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8:21 - 8:23to find out.
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8:23 - 8:26When we tested females using blinking LED lights,
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8:26 - 8:28we discovered they prefer males
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8:28 - 8:32who give longer-lasting flashes.
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8:32 - 8:36(Laughter) (Applause)
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8:36 - 8:37I know you're wondering,
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8:37 - 8:40what gives these males their sex appeal?
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8:40 - 8:42Now we get to see what happens
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8:42 - 8:44when the lights go out.
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8:44 - 8:46The first thing we discovered
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8:46 - 8:48is that once a male and female hook up like this,
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8:48 - 8:51they stay together all night long,
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8:51 - 8:52and when we looked inside
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8:52 - 8:54to see what might be happening,
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8:54 - 8:56we discovered a surprising new twist
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8:56 - 8:58to firefly sex.
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8:58 - 8:59While they're mating,
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8:59 - 9:01the male is busy giving the female
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9:01 - 9:03not just his sperm
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9:03 - 9:07but also a nutrient-filled package
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9:07 - 9:12called a nuptial gift.
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9:12 - 9:14We can zoom in to look more closely
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9:14 - 9:15inside this mating pair.
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9:15 - 9:17We can actually see the gift —
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9:17 - 9:18it's shown here in red —
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9:18 - 9:22as it's being passed from the male to the female.
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9:22 - 9:25What makes this gift so valuable
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9:25 - 9:27is that it's packed with protein
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9:27 - 9:32that the female will use to provision her eggs.
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9:32 - 9:36So females are keeping their eyes on this prize
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9:36 - 9:38as they size up potential mates.
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9:38 - 9:41We discovered that females use male flash signals
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9:41 - 9:43to try to predict which males
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9:43 - 9:45have the biggest gifts to offer,
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9:45 - 9:50because this bling helps the female lay more eggs
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9:50 - 9:53and ultimately launch more of her own offspring
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9:53 - 9:56into the next generation.
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9:58 - 10:00So it's not all sweetness and light.
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10:00 - 10:02Firefly romance is risky.
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10:02 - 10:05For the most part, these adult fireflies
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10:05 - 10:08don't get eaten because like their juveniles
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10:08 - 10:11they can manufacture toxins that are repellent
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10:11 - 10:14to birds and other insectivores,
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10:14 - 10:16but somewhere along the line,
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10:16 - 10:18one particular group of fireflies
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10:18 - 10:22somehow lost the metabolic machinery
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10:22 - 10:25needed to make their own protective toxins.
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10:25 - 10:28This evolutionary flaw,
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10:28 - 10:30which was discovered by my colleague Tom Eisner,
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10:30 - 10:32has driven these fireflies
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10:32 - 10:36to take their bright lights out into the night
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10:36 - 10:39with treacherous intent.
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10:39 - 10:41Dubbed "femme fatales"
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10:41 - 10:43by Jim Lloyd, another colleague,
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10:43 - 10:46these females have figured out how to target
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10:46 - 10:50the males of other firefly species.
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10:50 - 10:52So the hunt begins with the predator —
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10:52 - 10:54she's shown here in the lower left —
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10:54 - 10:56where she's sitting quietly
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10:56 - 10:59and eavesdropping on the courtship conversation
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10:59 - 11:01of her intended prey,
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11:01 - 11:03and here's how it might go.
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11:03 - 11:07First the prey male flashes, "Do you love me?"
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11:07 - 11:11His own female responds, "Maybe."
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11:11 - 11:14So then he flashes again.
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11:14 - 11:17But this time, the predator sneaks in a reply
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11:17 - 11:23that cleverly mimics exactly
what the other female just said. -
11:23 - 11:27She's not looking for love: she's looking for toxins.
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11:27 - 11:31If she's good, she can lure this male close enough
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11:31 - 11:34to reach out and grab him,
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11:34 - 11:37and he's not just a light snack.
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11:37 - 11:39Over the next hour, she slowly
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11:39 - 11:42exsanguinates this male
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11:42 - 11:46leaving behind just some gory remains.
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11:46 - 11:49Unable to make their own toxins,
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11:49 - 11:51these females resort to drinking the blood
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11:51 - 11:56of other fireflies to get these protective chemicals.
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11:56 - 12:02So a firefly vampire,
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12:02 - 12:06brought to you by natural selection.
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12:06 - 12:09We still have a lot to learn about fireflies,
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12:09 - 12:13but it looks like many stories will remain untold,
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12:13 - 12:15because around the world, firefly populations
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12:15 - 12:18are blinking out.
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12:18 - 12:20The main culprit: habitat loss.
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12:20 - 12:23Pretty much everywhere, the fields and forests,
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12:23 - 12:26the mangroves and meadows
that fireflies need to survive, -
12:26 - 12:29are giving way to development and to sprawl.
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12:29 - 12:33Here's another problem: we've conquered darkness,
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12:33 - 12:37but in the process, we spill so
much extra light out into the night -
12:37 - 12:40that it disrupts the lives of other creatures,
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12:40 - 12:44and fireflies are especially sensitive to light pollution
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12:44 - 12:46because it obscures the signals
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12:46 - 12:51that they use to find their mates.
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12:51 - 12:53Do we really need fireflies?
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12:53 - 12:55After all, they're just one tiny bit
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12:55 - 12:57of Earth's biodiversity.
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12:57 - 13:00Yet every time a species is lost,
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13:00 - 13:03it's like extinguishing a room full of candles
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13:03 - 13:06one by one.
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13:06 - 13:07You might not notice
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13:07 - 13:10when the first few flames flicker out,
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13:10 - 13:14but in the end, you're left sitting in darkness.
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13:20 - 13:24As we work together to craft a planetary future,
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13:24 - 13:27I hope we can find a way
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13:27 - 13:30to keep these bright lights shining.
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13:30 - 13:32Thank you.
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13:32 - 13:35(Applause)
- Title:
- The loves and lies of fireflies
- Speaker:
- Sara Lewis
- Description:
-
Biologist Sara Lewis has spent the past 20 years getting to the bottom of the magic and wonder of fireflies. In this charming talk, she tells us how and why the beetles produce their silent sparks, what happens when two fireflies have sex, and why one group of females is known as the firefly vampire. (It's not pretty.) Find out more astonishing facts about fireflies in Lewis' footnotes, below.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 13:51
Morton Bast edited English subtitles for The loves and lies of fireflies | ||
Morton Bast approved English subtitles for The loves and lies of fireflies | ||
Morton Bast edited English subtitles for The loves and lies of fireflies | ||
Morton Bast edited English subtitles for The loves and lies of fireflies | ||
Morton Bast edited English subtitles for The loves and lies of fireflies | ||
Morton Bast edited English subtitles for The loves and lies of fireflies | ||
Morton Bast edited English subtitles for The loves and lies of fireflies | ||
Madeleine Aronson accepted English subtitles for The loves and lies of fireflies |