Human hands glow in the dark

[Mr. McD]

Human hands glow, but fingernails release the most light, according to a recent study that finds all parts of the hand emit photons.

The findings support earlier research that suggests most living things, including plants, release light.

Since disease and illness appear to affect the strength and pattern of the glow, scientists say the discovery might lead to less-invasive ways of diagnosing patients.


http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/health/HealthRepublish_1455010.htm

[bemildred]

1. Sort of like an "aura" you think?

:evilgrin:

[greyl]

9. No. Not showering for 3 months

will give you something sort of like an aura, but this study doesn't correlate with what you mean by an aura.

The difference is that there is no scientific evidence that new age auras exist.

[nashville_brook]

2. reich was right

actually, having spent much of high school and college in the dark room i can attest to this. there's a lot to see in complete darkness (loading film). flashes, fogs -- all sorts of light that can't be leaks or eye floaters. me and hubby were talking about this just the other nite.

cool stuff.

[mainegreen]

3. Ok, this sort of confuses me

Isn't heat just lower energy photons? I was under the impression that we are constantly leaking EM energy all over the spectrum, but just centered in IR?
:shrug:

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Any body above absolute zero should, in theory, emit visible light

though it may be at a very slow rate.

http://www.egglescliffe.org.uk/physics/astronomy/blackbody/bbody.html

However, the article talks about oil and oxygen altering the amount of light, which they think means there are chemical reactions producing the light.

[Bill McBlueState]

11. yes

Everything in the universe emits radiation at all energies. But an object emits the most radiation over a particular range of energies that depends on its temperature. Superhot material falling into a black hole emits high energy x-rays. Most of the sun's energy comes out in the visible -- that's why it's yellow. Things that are warm but not hot, like human hands, radiate most strongly in the infrared. And empty space, which has a temperature just two degrees above absolute zero, radiates mainly microwaves.

So yes, humans radiate photons just like everything else in the universe.

[psychopomp]

4. Hey man, I mean have you ever really *looked* at your hands?

lol seriously though this is interesting.

[sakabatou]

5. Looks like an IR pic

BTW, are photons made of any specific light?

[greyl]

8. Yes, that pic isn't from the study - it's a stock photo.

Whenever you see an article concerning science written by Jennifer Viegas, it is wise to read it extra carefully.

[Phoonzang]

7. OMG does this mean..

...Dragonball Z is actually right? :crazy:

[sakabatou]

12. That'd be so cool if it were

Kaio-Ken times ten!

[Phoonzang]

13. Lol...DBZ Nerds Unite! n/t

[Celebration]

10. Wikepedia on Biophotons

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biophoton

In the absence of definite knowledge about the mechanisms that produce these photons, some of the groups around F.A. Popp in Neuss/Germany, who adopted the term "biophotons", have speculated that they may be involved in various cell functions, such as mitosis, or even that they may be produced and detected by the DNA in the cell nucleus. These speculations have not yet resulted in a testable hypothesis.

Some groups have further speculated that these emissions may be part of a system of cell-to-cell communication, which may be of greater complexity than the modes of cell communication already known, such as chemical signaling. These ideas even suggest that biophotons may be important for the development of larger structures, such as organs and organisms.