New Images Show Life’s Glow Goes Dark at Death

A new peer-reviewed study has captured an ultra-faint glow from living organisms—and watched it plunge after death. The effect, called ultra-weak photon emission (UPE) or “biophotons,” is invisible to the human eye but detectable with highly sensitive cameras. Researchers imaged both living vs. recently dead mice and plant leaves under stress, revealing a consistent pattern: vitality is bright; death is dim. (Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters; Phys.org)

What the scientists did

The team placed four live mice one at a time in a light-sealed chamber, recording their faint photon emission for an hour. After humane euthanasia, each mouse was imaged for another hour, with body temperature maintained to rule out simple thermal effects. The UPE signal was significantly higher while alive and dropped sharply after death. In plants (Arabidopsis thaliana and dwarf umbrella tree), injury, heat or chemicals increased the glow at the affected sites for hours. (ScienceAlert; Phys.org)

It’s real light—but too faint to see

UPE spans roughly the 200–1,000 nm range (UV through visible into near-IR), but its intensity is far below human vision. Detecting it requires EMCCD/CCD systems in an ultradark enclosure. That means this is not a visible “aura”—it’s a measurable whisper of light linked to metabolism. (Phys.org explainer)

Where the glow comes from

Many biophysicists point to reactive oxygen species (ROS) created during normal metabolism. When excited molecules relax, they can release tiny amounts of light—biophotons. Under stress (heat, injury, chemicals), ROS spike and so does UPE, especially at injury sites. (Phys.org)

Why this matters

• Vitality indicator: The living-vs-dead contrast suggests UPE could become a non-invasive biomarker of tissue health and stress.
• Whole-organism imaging: Past work focused on cells/tissues; this study demonstrates live animal and intact leaf imaging protocols.
• Clinical & agricultural potential: From tracking recovery and inflammation to monitoring crop stress in real time. (Newsweek)

Watch: quick biophoton explainer

Key takeaways

• Living mice emitted a significantly stronger UPE signal than recently dead mice—even at the same temperature.
• Plant leaves under stress glowed brighter at injury sites for many hours.
• UPE is real, physical light in the visible/near-IR range—but too faint to see without specialized cameras.

Sources & further reading