Bioluminescent Life Stamps

— February 22 | Fort Pierce, FL | PSA pane of 20

The Bioluminescent Life stamps were issued in Fort Pierce, Fla., home to ORCA, the Ocean Research & Conservation Association. ORCA’s CEO and Senior Scientist is Dr. Edith Widder, who took the photographs that appear on seven of the stamp images.
Bioluminescence is the ability of some species to glow, the one with which we are most familiar being the firefly. A thttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioluminescencewe learn that, in lay terms, the principal chemical reaction in bioluminescence involves some light-emitting molecule and an enzyme that sets off the oxidation that creates the light.

Seen on the full pane, accessible here, and referring to the first two columns from the left, the stamp images picture the following bioluminescent life-forms:
Row 1:deep-ocean octopusandmidwater jellyfish, photos by Edith Widder.
Row 2:deep-sea comb jelly, photo by Edith Widder;mushroom, photo by Taylor F. Lockwood.
Row 3:firefly, photo by Gail Shumway;bamboo coral, photo by Edith Widder.
Row 4:marine wormandcrown jellyfish, photos by Edith Widder.
Row 5:marine worm, photo by Steve Haddock;sea pen, photo by Edith Widder.

The selvage—or area outside the stamps—features a transparent deep-sea comb jelly (Gregory G. Dimijian photo), surrounded by images of the firefly squid (Danté Fenolio photo).

Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamps and selvage from existing photographs.

02/17/18