Flashers

Materials:

fire flies in a jar

flashlight

Directions:

1) In a darkened room hold the flashlight in front of the jar of fireflies.

2) Turn the light on and off at 1-second intervals.

3) Flash the light at least 10 times.

4) Change the intervals to 2, then 3, then 4 seconds; flashing the light at least ten times for each interval.

5) Do the fireflies respond to any of the intervals?

Explanation: Fire flies use the flashes to attract a mate. The interval of the flashes depends on the species of the firefly. The flashes are caused by layers of cells that produce light on their abdomen. The cells contains luciferin, which produces light when combined with oxygen.

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