In the dark of night, a biologist discovered what it feels like to become light. From her boat, she watched millions of tiny plankton illuminate the ocean into a bright blue-green stretching as far as she could see. As she entered the water, her whole body began to glow; with the slightest movement, she became a “swirling part of the glowing tapestry.” Fish swam nearby, each creating a streak of ethereal light as they surrounded her.
The scientist, interviewed as part of sociologist Brandon Vaidyanathan’s research on science and spirituality, recalls the paradoxical experience: Even though she understood exactly why those organisms were glowing, the scientific explanation didn’t diminish her sense of wonder.
