The Science Behind the Firefly's Fire - Sara Lewis

Fireflies are magnanimous insects. They initially developed the lights that helped earn them their popular nickname out of concern for nighttime predators' diets - a warning that says "don't eat me, I taste bad." At least, that's how Tufts biologist and firefly expert Sara Lewis explains it. She also says that the firefly is actually one of 2,000 related beetles that use their lights for a wide variety of reasons, in a broad array of ways; some only have lights when they're larvas, others use it as a warning symbol, and many use their lights to identify potential mates. Lewis is currently writing a book about fireflies, slated for publication in 2015 titled Silent Sparks.