recreating a "milky sea"

8/9/2019 Recreating a "Milky Sea"

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THE PHENOMENON OF THE MILKY SEA BASED ON THE

BACTERIA-ALGAE IMMOBILIZATION HYPOTHESIS

An enhanced photo of a gift-bearing Santa Claus illuminated by the glow of a small self-contained Milky Sea

May I please share with the community of scientists interested in the phenomenon of the Milky

Sea my hypothesis as to its occurrence in nature. My work with Vibrio fischeri, a close relative of

the marine luminous bacterium: Vibrio harveyibelieved to be responsible for the Milky Sea showed

that when cells of Vibrio fischeri are immobilized in small paper-discs, one paper-disc remain

luminous in a test tube of 2.5% saline for about 2 days. If minimal nutrient and aeration are

provided to the mediumthen the luminosity of the paper-disc can be extended for up to 4 days. But

when the Vibrio fischericellsare just suspended in the 2.5% saline as individual cells in test tubes

they remain luminous for only about two hours. Immobilization of the Vibrio fischericells rendered

them luminous far longer than if they were just suspended as single cells in saline. Immobilization in

paper-discs is simply done by immersing a 6.0 mm diameter Whatman filter paper in a luminous

suspension of Vibrio fischeri. The paper-disc absorbs the luminous suspension causing millions ofcells ofVibrio fischerito be trapped in its intertwining cellulosic fibrils rendering the entire paper-

disc luminous as well. Once removed from the luminous suspension, the paper-disc acquires its own

bright luminosity due to the millions ofVibrio fischericells are trapped together in the small volume

of the paper-disc. The high density and close packing of the cells in the small volume of the paper-

discs probably tricks them into thinking that they are still a part of a larger population thereby

continuously promoting their quorum sensing based bioluminescence activity. Indeed, to

circumvent the restrictions imposed by a having a very large density of 109

cells/mL of the luminous

bacteria in seawater to keep them continuously luminous as proposed for Milk Sea, it is

hypothesized that luminosity in seawater of a much lower number of luminous bacteria is still

achievable if they can be packed close together in the pores, holes, crevices, edges and filaments of

a much larger algal cell most likely that of the glass cell-walled Diatoms. A Diatom is most likelyseveral thousand times bigger than Vibrio harveyi. A bloom of Diatoms must coincide with the


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growth and subsequent attachment to their cell wall of an increasing number ofVibrio harveyicells

upon cell to cell contact in the sea. Attachment and immobilization of the Vibrio harveyicells in the

much larger algal cells is very much liked my luminous paper-discs immobilization ofVibrio fischeri

retaining its luminosity for several days thus supporting the observation that the Milky Sea of 1995

lasted for about 3 days. The attachment of the luminous bacteria to algae should even produce

brighter bioluminescence that should last for several days. The energetic blue light ofbioluminescence should keep photosynthesis on-going in the algae, which in turn should produce

foods like carbohydrates and oils and the essential gas: oxygen, which should even promote brighter

bioluminescence of the attached bacteria. This brief moment of a seemingly mutually beneficial

interaction between a luminous bacterium and an alga should explain the occurrence of a bright

Milky Sea lasting for several days. Furthermore, a Milky sea appears white as recorded by sailors

while bacterial bioluminescence is blue. In my years of working with plate cultures and suspensions

of Vibrio fischeri in saline observing them in absolute darkness for several hours not once did I

noticed that the light turned white as it always appeared bluish to me. It is explained that the

whitish appearance of the Milky Sea is due to the eyes scotopic vision taking effect. Since scotopic

vision is colour blind then the blue colour of bioluminescence turns white. Perhaps the brightness of

a plate cultures and suspensions in the dark still allow photopic vision to be turned on in our eyespermitting the discernment of the blue colour of bioluminescence. I believe that the switch from

photopic to scotopic vision happens only in absolute darkness and when the source of light happens

to be very dim. These two seemingly conflicting observations of the blue colour of bioluminescence

and the white colour of the Milky Sea can be reconciled again by the bacteria-algae immobilization

hypothesis. The blue light produced by the marine bacteria is transmitted through the glass cell wall

and oil globules inside the algae producing a white light that we see as the Milky Sea. Perhaps again,

its just like the whitish colloidal suspension of mayonnaise, which are oil globules dangling in the

colourless medium of vinegar.

An environment-friendly cloth bag illuminated by bioluminescence from within represents my

personal advocacy of using bioluminescence for a greener world

To promote my personal advocacy of using bacterial bioluminescence for a greener world, I will bewilling to cooperate with research institutions or green organizations in the preparation of hundreds


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of thousands of these luminous paper-discs, perhaps even one million, to be released in the sea in

the middle of night to replicate a small Milky Sea that will lasts for several hours. These luminous

paper-discs should remain afloat and move with the current as they light up a small part of the sea.

They might even attract and be eaten by nearby fishes, which will surely bring these luminous

microbes into the intestines and in that niche they could most likely function as probiotics for the

well-being of the fishes. The marine luminous bacteria are inherently one of the major componentsof the saltwater fishes intestinal microflora.

BIOLUMIN: BLUE LIGHT GREEN WORLD

recreating a "milky sea"

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