Biophoton 57759 222718129 2008-06-30T19:45:07Z Mpatel 172616 xomma {{For|the science of interactions of light and matter|biophotonics}} A '''biophoton''' (from the [[Greek language|Greek]] βιο meaning "life" and φωτο meaning "light"), synonymous with '''ultraweak photon emission''', '''low-level biological chemiluminescence''', '''ultraweak bioluminescence''', '''dark luminescence''' and other similar terms, is a [[photon]] of [[light]] emitted from a [[life|biological system]] and detected by biological probes as part of the general weak [[electromagnetic radiation]] of living [[cells (biology)|biological cell]]s. Biophotons and their study should not be confused with [[bioluminescence]], a term generally reserved for higher intensity [[luciferin]]/[[luciferase]] systems. Biophotonics is the study, research and applications of photons in their interactions within and on biological systems. Topics of research pertain more generally to basic questions of [[biophysics]] and related subjects - for example, the [[Gene regulation|regulation of biological functions]], [[cell growth]] and [[cell differentiation|differentiation]], connections to so-called delayed [[luminescence]], and spectral emissions in [[supramolecular chemistry|supermolecular]] processes in living tissues, etc. The typical detected [[magnitude (mathematics)|magnitude]] of "biophotons" in the [[electromagnetic spectrum|visible and ultraviolet spectrum]] ranges from a few up to several hundred photons per second per square centimeter of surface area, much weaker than in the openly visible and well-researched phenomenon of normal bioluminescence, but stronger than in the thermal, or [[black body radiation]] that so-called perfect ''black bodies'' demonstrate. The detection of these photons has been made possible (and easier) by the development of more sensitive [[photomultiplier]] tubes and associated electronic equipment. Biophotons were employed by the Stalin regime to diagnose [[cancer]], apparently with such success that their discoverer, [[Alexander Gurwitsch]] was awarded a prize, though the method has not been tested in the west. However, more recently there have been claims that, by "harnessing the energy of biophotons", supposed natural ''cures'' for cancer are possible.<ref>{{cite web | author = | title = Search:biophoton+healing | publisher = Google | url = http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=biophoton+healing | date = | accessdate = 2007-11-04 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | author = Stephen Barrett, M.D. | title = Some Notes on the American Academy of Quantum Medicine (AAQM) | publisher = Quackwatch.org | url = http://www.quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/Nonrecorg/aaqm.html | date = | accessdate = 2007-11-04 }}</ref> Commercial products and services based on these latter claims appear at present to be best regarded as base and baseless [[pseudo-science]]. ===History=== In the 1920s, the Russian embryologist [[Alexander Gurwitsch]] reported "ultraweak" photon emissions from living tissues in the UV-range of the spectrum. He named them "mitogenetic rays", because he assumed that they had a stimulating effect on [[cell division]]. However, the failure to replicate his findings and the fact that, though cell growth can be stimulated and directed by [[electromagnetic radiation|radiation]] this is possible only at much higher amplitudes, evoked a general skepticism about Gurwitsch's work. In 1953 [[Irving Langmuir]] dubbed Gurwitsch's ideas [[pathological science]]. However in the later 20th century Gurwitsch's daughter Anna, Colli, Quickenden and Inaba separately returned to the subject, referring to the phenomenon more neutrally as "dark luminescence", "low level luminescence", "ultraweak bioluminescence", or "ultraweak chemiluminescence". Their common basic hypothesis was that the phenomenon was induced from rare [[oxidation]] processes and [[Radical (chemistry)|radical]] [[chemical reaction|reactions]]. Chemiexcitation via [[oxidative stress]] by [[reactive oxygen species]](ROS) and/or [[catalysis]] by [[enzymes]] (ie [[peroxidase]], [[lipoxygenase]]) is a common event in the biomolecular milieu<ref>Cilento, Adam 1995</ref>. Such reactions can lead to the formation of [[Spin triplet|triplet]] excited species, which release [[photons]] upon returning to a lower [[energy level]] in a process analogous to [[phosphorescence]]. That this process is a contributing factor to spontaneous biophoton emission has been indicated by studies demonstrating that biophoton emission can be attenuated by depleting assayed tissue of [[antioxidants]]<ref>Ursini et al. 1989</ref> or by addition of carbonyl derivitizing agents<ref>Katoaka et al. 2001</ref>. Further support is provided by studies indicating that emission can be increased by addition of [[reactive oxygen species]] (ROS) <ref>Boveris et al. 1980</ref>. Since there is visible [[bioluminescence]] in many [[bacteria]] and other [[Cell (biology)|cells]] it can be inferred that the extremely small number of photons in ultra-weak bioluminescence are simply a random by-product of cellular [[metabolism]] (the numbers given above correspond to roughly a single photon per cell per month, assuming a typical cell diameter of 10 micrometers). [[Cellular metabolism]] is thought to occur in steps, each involving small energy exchanges (See [[Adenosine triphosphate|ATP]]), Due to a certain degree of randomness, according to the laws of [[thermodynamics]] (or [[statistical mechanics]]), it must be expected that some irregular steps will occasionally occur, "outlying states" in which, due to physiochemical energy imbalance, a photon is emitted. [[Statistical mechanics]] in modern [[biology]] often favours an [[Statistical ensemble|ensemble]] model of systems due to the large numbers of interacting molecules, etc. In [[chaos theory]], for example, it is often suggested that the apparent randomness of systems is due to a lack of understanding of the larger system of which the given system is a component. This has led many who deal with large systems to employ statistics to explain seemingly random events as outlying effects in [[probability distribution]]s. ===Hypothesized involvement in cellular communication=== In the 1970s the then assistant professor [[Fritz-Albert Popp]], and his research group, at the [[University of Marburg]] ([[Germany]])showed that the spectral distribution of the emission fell over a wide range of wavelengths, from 200 to 800 nm. Popp proposed that the radiation might be both semi-[[period (physics)|periodic]] and [[coherence (physics)|coherent]]. This hypothesis has not won general acceptance among scientists who have studied the evidence. Popp's group, however, constructed, tested, patented, and sought to market a device for measuring biophoton emissions as a means of assessing the ripeness and general food value of fruits and vegetables. Russian, German, and other biophotonics experts, often adopting the term "biophotons" from Popp, have theorized, like Gurwitsch, 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]]. In 1974 Dr. V.P.Kazmacheyev announced that his research team in Novosibirsk had detected intercellular communication by means of these rays.<ref>Playfair and Hill, ''The Cycles of Heaven'', Pan 1979, p107</ref> Proponents additionally claim that studies have shown that injured cells will emit a higher biophoton rate than normal cells, and organisms with illnesses will likewise emit a brighter [[light]], which has been interpreted as implying a sort of distress signal being given off. However, injured cells are under higher amounts of [[oxidative stress]], which ultimately is the source of the light, and whether this constitutes a "distress signal" or simply a background chemical process is yet to be demonstrated.<ref>{{cite web | author = Bennett Davis | title = Body Talk | publisher = Kobayashi Biophoton Lab | url = http://www.tohtech.ac.jp/~elecs/ca/kobayashilab_hp/NewScientistE.html | date = 23 Feb 02 | accessdate = 2007-11-04 }}</ref> One hypothesis is this postulated minor form of communication first became common as [[single-cell organism]]s began to cooperate to form complex [[organism]]s, using biophotons as a less effective [[neural]] system. According to another hypothesis,<ref>{{cite web | author = | title = Theory of the Red Blood Cells | publisher = Scientia Press | url = http://www.scientiapress.com/trbc/trbc.htm | date = | accessdate = 2007-11-04 }}</ref> this form of biophotonic signaling, primarily in the blood, continues to play a role in the reception, transmission, and processing of electromagnetic data. These ideas would then suggest that ''biophotons'' may be important for the [[developmental biology|development]] of larger structures, such as [[organ (anatomy)|organ]]s and [[organism]]s. However, debate surrounds such evidence and conclusions, and the difficulty of teasing out the effects of any supposed biophotons amid the other numerous chemical interactions between cells makes it difficult to devise a testable hypothesis. Objections to the conjectured signaling role of biophotons include the observation that most organisms are bathed in what would be considered a relatively high intensity light field (daylight or even [[starlight]] is orders of magnitude more intense) when compared to any ultraweak biophoton emission, thus swamping any signalling effect such emissions could have. Although this does not address the possibility that biophoton signaling might manifest through temporal patterns of distinct wavelengths, or could mainly be used in deep tissues hidden from daylight (such as the human brain, which contains [[OPN3|photoreceptor proteins]]), there remains little evidence in the scientific literature to support the existence of such a signaling mechanism. ==See also== *[[Bioluminescence]] *[[Biophotonics]] *[[Biophysics]] *[[Chemiluminescence]] *[[Kirlian photography]] *[[L-field]] *[[luminophore]] *[[Pathological science]] *[[Phosphorescence]] *[[Prana]] *[[Pseudoscience]] *[[Vitalism]] ==Notes== {{reflist}} ==Sources== *Bajpai, R.P., Popp, F.A., van Wijk, R., Niggli, H., Beloussov, L.V., Cohen, S., Jung, H.H., Sup-Soh, K., Lipkind, M., Voiekov, V.L., Slawinski, J., Aoshima, Y., Michiniewicz, Z., van Klitzing, L., Swain, J.:Biophotons (Multi-Author-Review). Indian Journal of Experimental Biology 41 (2003), Vol 5, 391-544. *Boveris, A. Cadenas, E. Reiter, R. Filipkowski, M. Nakase, Y. Chance, B. (1980). Organ chemiluminescence: Noninvasive assay for oxidative radical reactions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. 77 (1) : 347-351 *Chang, J.J., Fisch, J., and Popp, F.A.:Biophotons. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht-Boston-London 1998. *J.J.Chang and F.A.Popp: "Biological Organization: A Possible Mechanism based on the Coherence of Biophotons". In: ''Biophotons'' (J.J.Chang, J. Fisch and F.A.Popp, eds.), Kluwer Academic Publisher, Dordrecht-London 1998, pp. 217-227. *Cilento, G. Adam, W. From Free Radicals to Electronically Excited Species.: Free Radical Biology and Medicine. (1995) 19(1): 103-114. *H.Fröhlich: "Long Range Coherence and Energy Storage in Biological Systems". ''Int. J. Quant. Chem.'' 2 (1968), 641-649. *A.G. Gurwitsch: "Über Ursachen der Zellteilung". ''Arch. Entw. Mech. Org.'' 51 (1922), 383-415. *Katoaka, Y. Cui, Y.L. Yamagata, A. Niigaki, M. Hirohata, T. Oishi, N. Watanabe, Y.: Activity-Dependent Neural Tissue Oxidation Emits Intrinsic Ultraweak Photons. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 285 (2001): 1007-1011. *Popp, F.A.: Biophotonen. Ein neuer Weg zur Lösung des Krebsproblems. Schriftenreihe Krebsgeschehen, Vol.6, Verlag für Medizin, Dr. Ewald Fischer, Heidelberg 1976. *Popp, F.A., Gu, Q., and Li, K.H.:Biophoton Emission: Experimentell Background and Theoretical Approaches. Modern Physics Letters B8 (1994), 1269-1296. *Popp, F.A., Gurwitsch, A.A., Inaba, H., Slawinski, J., Cilento G., van Wijk, R., Chwirot B., and Nagl, W.: Biophoton Emission (Multi-Author Review), Experientia 44 (1988), 543-600. *Popp, F.A., Ruth, B., Bahr, W., Böhm, J., Grass, P., Grolig, G., Rattemeyer, M., Schmidt, H.G., and Wulle, P.:Emission of visible and ultraviolet radiation by active biological systems. Collective Phenomena (Gordon&Breach), Vol.3 (1981), pp.187-214. *Popp, F.A., Yan, Yu: Delayed luminescence of biological systems in terms of coherent states. Physics Letters A 293 (2002), 93-97. *Radiofrequency and microwave radiation of biological origin – their possible role in biocommunication. Psychoenergetic Systems, Vol.3 (1979), pp.133-154. *Raschke T, Koop U, Dusing HJ, Filbry A, Sauermann K, Jaspers S, Wenck H, Wittern KP.: Topical activity of ascorbic acid: from in vitro optimization to in vivo efficacy. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2004 Jul-Aug;17(4):200-6. *Rattemeyer, M., Popp, F.A., and Nagl, W.: Evidence of photon emission from DNA in living systems. Naturwissenschaften 68 (1981), 572-573. *Ruth, B. In: Electromagnetic Bio-Information (F.A.Popp, G.Becker, H.L.König and W.Peschka, eds.), Urban &Schwarzenberg, München-Wien-Baltimore 1979. This paper contains the historical background of biophotons. *Ruth, B. and F.A.Popp: Experimentelle Untersuchungen zur ultraschwachen Photonenemission biologischer Systeme. Z.Naturforsch.31 *Ursini, F. Barsacchi, R. Pelosi, G. Benassi, A.: Oxidative stress in the Rat Heart, Studies on Low-Level Chemiluminescence. Journal of Bioluminescence and Chemiluminescence. 4(1) (1989) 241-244. *Yan, Y., Popp, F.A., Sigrist, S., Schlesinger, D., Dolf, A., Yan, Z., Cohen, S., and Chotia, A.:Further analysis of delayed luminescence of plants, Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology 78 (2005),229-234. ==External links== *Marco Bischof's [http://www.lifescientists.de/publication/bibliography1-1.htm Bibliography on biophoton research and related subjects] *G.J. Hyland's [http://www.biophotonen-online.de/abstract/abs2000-3.htm Fundaments of Coherence in Biology] *Photonics TechnologyWorld, "''[http://www.photonics.com/spectra/tech/XQ/ASP/techid.427/QX/read.htm Our Bodies, Our Photons]''". October 1998 Edition. *Tilbury, Gregg, Percival, Matich: "''[http://www.photobiology.com/v1/tilbury/default.htm Ultraweak Chemiluminescence from Human Blood Plasma]''" *F.A. Popp, et al, [http://www.worldscibooks.com/physics/1559.html Recent Advances in Biophoton Research and its Application] *F.A. Popp, [http://www.biophotonik.de Biophotonics] *[http://www.lifescientists.de International Institute of Biophysics] *Ultraweak photon emission [http://upe.wikispaces.com UPE - Exchanging experimental data and discussion] [[Category:Biology]] [[Category:Photonics]] [[Category:Bioluminescence]] [[Category:Photons]] [[de:Biophoton]] [[fr:Biophoton]] [[nl:Biofoton]] [[ja:バイオフォトン]]