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Lightning Talks: Bioluminescence

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Lightning Talks: Bioluminescence aired on Thursday, Jul 23, 2026. During this live stream event, we learned that from fish to squid to jellies, many marine creatures light up the ocean. Five speakers had five minutes each to dazzle the audience with their knowledge of this amazing natural phenomenon.

Featured speakers

  • Ginny Boughner (Community Boating Center Bellingham Bay) on finding bioluminescence in the Pacific Northwest
  • Jonathan Cohen (University of Delaware) on how animals perceive bioluminescence
  • Steven Haddock (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) on Nobel Prize-winning research on bioluminescence in jellies
  • Brennan Phillips (University of Rhode Island) on deep-sea, low-light imaging technologies
  • Vicky Vásquez (The Rogue Shark Lab) on why and how sharks glow

Lightning Talks are free digital events, streamed live on YouTube, where curious community members can connect with scientists and researchers from around the world. Your support keeps programs like these free to all. Donate to the Seattle Aquarium today!

New podcast!

Lightning Strikes Twice

Can’t get enough of Lightning Talks? Then have we got the podcast for you!

Lightning Strikes Twice welcomes back guests from Lightning Talks to discuss all the fun facts, cool stories and unanswered audience questions they missed during their initial five-minute talk. This is the perfect show for the “science curious,” aka anyone who wants to learn more about the ocean and the incredible creatures who rely on it (including us)! The show is co-hosted by the Aquarium’s own Cari Garand and Amy Olsen.

Lightning Strikes Twice is available wherever you get your podcasts!

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Previous seasons of Lightning Talks

Watch Season 1: Sharks; Octopuses; Otters; Orcas 

Watch Season 2: Sharks; Creatures of the Deep; Birds; Kelp Forests

Watch Season 3: Life on the Frozen Edge; Myths and Misconceptions; Jellies; Snails

Watch Season 4: Ocean Tech; Cephalopods; Experience the Coral Triangle; Rays

Watch Season 5: Salmon; Ocean Ancients; Spineless; Seahorses and Seadragons

Watch Season 6: Sea Turtles; Whales; Corals

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