THE HISTORY OF THE GLOW-WORM
LIFECYCLE GLOSSARY HELPING GLOW-WORMS WHERE TO FIND THEM MY STUDY
THEIR HISTORY MY SURVEY LINKS TO OTHER SITES ABOUT ME MISCELLANY SNAILS
Glow-worms have been with us for thousands of years. Their silent, soft lights burn more efficiently than any of man’s, with no harm to the atmosphere, the ozone layer, or depletion of natural resources. They invented light shows many centuries before Broadway or discos thought to entertain or attract us with flashes and neon glows, even before man discovered the secrets of lighting his path with fire. Fossilised glow-worms have been found in rocks that were formed about thirty million years ago, and now, only the Artic and Antarctic circles are without some form of this fascinating creature.
Over the years, we have used glow-worms for many purposes. Their glows have been used to illuminate our path, by tying them to ankle loops or putting them into jars. Their habit of displaying along the verges of a path or road have helped us to find our way home by their path of lights, especially during the war years when black-outs and shortage of batteries made it hard to use alternative light.
We have used the "glow" in ancient medicines, including ear drops. More recently, luciferase and luciferin have been used to detect life on other planets.
More will be added to this page as soon as I've finished this weeks homework...