0:00 Ninety percent of all life in the deep sea produces its own light.0:06 Just last week, we chased the sun's own magic across the sky in the form of auroras.0:13 But this light… this is different.0:16 This light is ALIVE.0:18 Our quest takes us down.0:20 Deeper and deeper.0:22 You are my co-pilot in our submersible, the Wanderer.0:27 Outside the thick glass of our viewport, there is only darkness.0:33 A cold, crushing black unlike anything on the surface.0:38 The pressure here could crumple a car into a tin can.0:42 But we are safe inside our sphere, floating in the endless night.0:48 We are hunting for secrets.0:51 Our sonar is silent.0:53 Our own lights are off.0:55 We are just… waiting.0:57 And then… you see it first.0:59 A tiny spark.1:00 A pinprick of blue light that floats past the window.1:05 Then another.1:06 And another.1:07 Soon, we are surrounded.1:10 A swirling galaxy of living stars.1:13 Some flash like camera bulbs.1:15 Others glow with a steady, eerie green.1:19 It’s a silent fireworks display in the middle of nowhere.1:24 This is the magic we came for.1:27 It’s called bioluminescence.1:29 Bio, for life.1:31 Luminescence, for light.1:33 It isn't hot like a fire.1:35 It's cold light, made by the creatures themselves.1:40 A special recipe inside their bodies mixes two ingredients—think of them as a glow-potion and a magic word—to create light from almost nothing.1:53 It is the language of the deep.1:56 But what are they SAYING?1:58 Are they saying hello?2:00 Are they celebrating?2:02 We drift closer to a beautiful, pulsing orb of light.2:07 It’s mesmerizing.2:08 But then… you grab my arm.2:11 You point past the little light.2:13 A shadow is moving behind it.2:16 A HUGE shadow.2:17 And from that shadow… dangles another light.2:21 A single, hypnotic lure, attached to a mouth full of needle-sharp teeth.2:28 An anglerfish.2:29 Oh.2:29 The beautiful lights aren't celebrating.2:33 They're dinner.2:35 The big fish uses its light to hunt, and the small fish flash their lights to warn each other, or to startle a predator.2:45 This isn't just a light show.2:48 It's a conversation of survival.2:51 We watch, holding our breath, as the hunter misses its target.2:57 We begin our ascent, leaving the city of silent sparks behind.3:02 But our journey into the world of living light isn't over.3:08 We surface… and trade the deep ocean for a deep forest.3:13 It’s night.3:14 The air smells of damp earth.3:16 And here, too, the darkness is alive.3:20 Look.3:20 Fireflies rise from the grass, blinking their own secret messages into the warm summer air.3:28 They're not hunting.3:30 They're looking for each other.3:33 Each pattern of flashes is a question: "Are you out there?" And over here… kneel down.3:41 See that strange glow on that fallen log?3:45 That's a fungus.3:46 A mushroom, painting the forest floor with a faint, ghostly light, for reasons we are STILL trying to understand.3:56 The magic is everywhere, from the bottom of the sea to your own backyard.4:03 A single firefly drifts down and lands on your outstretched hand.4:09 Its light pulses.4:11 A tiny, living heartbeat against your skin.
