About the Author

Michel Anctil is honorary professor of biology at Université de Montréal and author of Dawn of the Neuron: The Early Struggles to Trace the Origin of Nervous Systems.

Reviews

"A fresh and welcome perspective on bioluminescence knowledge, especially before the Second World War, Luminous Creatures provides a window into the evolution of a fascinating aspect of natural history through recorded time." James Morin, Cornell University

"Engagingly written and informative, Luminous Creatures covers the history of observations and research in connection with the phenomenon of bioluminescence through the ages, providing the reader not only with a chronology of scientific advances in the field but also with glimpses into the lives of some of the key researchers of living lights." Victor Benno Meyer-Rochow, Research Institute of Luminous Organisms, Hachijojima, Tokyo

"Enlightenment is the through-line in Michel Anctil's intelligent new book on the history and science of light production in living organisms. After all, what is science, if not a journey from the darkness into the light? A probing of the mysteries of nature, through our specimens. It is exactly this sort of probing that Anctil writes about in Luminous Creatures, most radiantly. It is just as much about how real science is done. Its rich, variegated material will surely be dredged up and mined for shimmering treasures not only by future generations of scientists, but also by artists and writers, who, if they brave the science and stay with this book, may be similarly rewarded." Literary Review of Canada

"Luminous Creatures provides an unparalleled holistic narrative of the development of oceanography as a scientific practice, the characters that drove the efforts, and the animals that they studied. [It] is profoundly well researched, is scientifically ac

"This book is as much about the "luminaries" behind the major finds about light-producing organisms as the organisms themselves, and that in large part is why it is such a compelling read. Recommended." Choice

"This work highlights how small the historiography of marine biology still is and how much space for expansion is available; Anctil is the first to tell many of these stories." Journal of the History of Biology