The biochemistry of light production is certainly well-understood today.
The biological emission of light has fascinated humankind for mill- nia who is not enchanted by the flashing of fireflies during summer's e- nings? Their collection by children in the area surrounding Baltimore, Maryland in the middle of this century for the purpose of biochemical isolation and ch- acterization of light producing proteins and cofactors may constitute the i- tiation of serious, quantitative studies of this phenomenon.
