TED Talks Daily - The luminous mystery of fireflies | Wan Faridah Akmal Jusoh

Episode Date: May 20, 2024

There are more than 2,000 firefly species, found on every continent except for Antarctica — an astonishing diversity of movement and light. Firefly scientist Wan Faridah Akmal Jusoh explores the mysteries of these little beetles that light up the night and details her quest to discover and protect new species as their habitats are at risk of disappearing.

TED Audio Collective. You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hu. Today, a talk to awaken your senses and imagination. Juan Farida Akmal Jusso is a firefly scientist. In her 2023 talk from TED Women, she paints the picture of these mesmerizing little beetles that light up at night and all the promise they offer for a healthy ecosystem. After the break.

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And now, our TED Talk of the day. I was born in Trangano, a beautiful coastal state in Peninsular Malaysia. Growing up in a superstitious, conservative community, my siblings and I always had to follow the strangest rule that usually didn't make sense to me. Things like, don't whistle in the house, no nail clipping at night, and whenever we went out to play, we had to return home before sunset or before it got dark. This particular rule made the night seem mysterious to me. I spent my school year admiring the dark but never got around to really

exploring it. As I got older, I was really drawn to beautiful nature. While in Mangu Forest, Seorang pejabat hutan mengatakan kepada saya tentang kelip-kelip. Sebuah kumpulan insek yang dapat menghasilkan cahaya yang paling mudah dilihat pada malam. Dari pengalaman yang terbatas dengan kegelapan, saya memutuskan untuk mengambil sebuah bot di sepanjang estuary manggung untuk melihat apa yang mereka kelihatan seperti. I decided to take a boat ride across the Mangrove Estuary one night just to see what they looked like. Well, the first 15 minutes of the journey was frightening. It was pitch black out there and the river was choppy.

All I could hear was a faint breeze. As the river began to narrow, it was then that I noticed a mesmerizing sight. Countless tiny flashes of light started to flicker on the trees, all flashing in almost perfect unison. It was as if they were dancing to their own beat. That is the moment I will never forget. The moment I officially fell in love with klip-klip, known as fireflies dalam bahasa Inggeris.

Yang lain adalah sejarah. Sekarang, saya telah meneliti fireflies selama lebih dari 17 tahun dan saya berencana untuk menghabiskan hidup saya menemui dan menyokong dunia kesejahteraan ini. uncovering and supporting the worlds of these creatures. There are more than 2,000 firefly species that we know of, and they live all over the world. They are found in every continent except for Antarctica. Most of them have wings, and most species can emit light.

The light is produced by special organs under their abdomens. And each species has its own unique light pattern. Some glow continuously. While others emit discrete flashing patterns, almost like a secret code. Fireflies are so much more than just pretty lights. They are an essential part of a healthy ecosystem. The life cycle of fireflies keeps the ecosystem balanced. Each firefly species in its indicative life stage has specific needs for a habitat to thrive. keperluan untuk habitat berkembang. Mereka berfungsi sebagai indikator biologi untuk memastikan apakah habitat tertentu adalah sihat atau tidak. Contohnya, di hutan mangga,

apabila anda melihat kekurangan populasi anjing, itu boleh disebabkan dengan kegagalan kualiti air to water quality degradation which can be a sign of a collapsing food chain. Why? Because firefly larvae eat snails and snails need good water quality to thrive. In terrestrial habitats, firefly population declines

can be attributed to light pollution. They are extremely sensitive Peningkatan populasi 5-light boleh dikatakan sebagai penyakit cahaya. Mereka sangat sensitif kepada cahaya artifisial kerana cahaya ini boleh menggigit, mengepung atau menggigit mereka. Jadi, sebahagian besar masa apabila anda melihat peningkatan populasi 5-light, So, most of the time, when you see a decline in firefly population, you can bet other species that live in the same habitat in which fireflies are found are also declining. This is indicative of an unhealthy ecosystem. This is bad for us humans too. It is a sign of overdevelopment

that can induce climate effects such as flood and drought. As I delve deeper into the world of fireflies, I can't help but wonder the fascinating mysteries that unfolded before me. It amazed me to learn that some firefly species prefer to fly solo in forests, searching for light signals from their non-winged mates, while others choose to gather among trees where the ocean meets the land. Equally intriguing is the fact that some firefly species have larvae that dwell in slow-moving rivers and ponds, while others have larvae that stay on land.

I find it inspiring. I find it inspiring to know that there are so many undiscovered species hiding within them. Imagine how many more remarkable firefly species are waiting to be found. And I have always wanted to find them. But it can be hard. There are other dangerous animals too. At night. On one occasion, when I was in a place called Lingi,

I stopped at a tree with firefly colonies to collect a few specimens. When we turned on our headlamps, we saw a row of red eyes. And soon we realised that we were surrounded by crocodiles. Sometimes the discovery of new species can be prompted by examining collections in the Natural History Museum. In 2016, I went to Singapore and studied a firefly collection koleksi peti api dari Asia Tenggara di Museum Sejarah Natural Lee Kuan Chien. Saya melihat spesimen peti api yang terdapat dalam koleksi. Itu tidak menyesuaikan dengan deskripsi yang saya kenal. Tidak ada nama yang terhubung ke dalamnya dan tiada siapa yang tahu apa itu. that I knew of. There's no name attached to it

and nobody knew what it was. In fact, the first specimen of this unknown species was collected in 1989. That is akin to a human adult living up to 30 years without name and without a proper description of this person. So, my colleagues and I, in 2018, went on a mission.

We coordinated the first night survey to the habitat of this unknown firefly, which happens to be the last remaining freshwater swarm in Singapore. We spent three hours exploring, only to be greeted by the empty darkness. We went home disappointed and tired, not to mention dirty and smelly from the mud. We went in again three months later, still nothing. At this point, we thought, this is it. This species is gone for good. However, the third time's the charm. Terima kasih. Ia merasa sangat menakjubkan walaupun kita perlu menunggu keadaan.

Air yang berlumuran dan dikawal oleh muskitos. Kekasihannya masih berbaloi. Setelah dua tahun pengumpulan dan analisis data tambahan, kami mengakui bahawa spesies tanpa kenalan ini baru untuk diperoleh. Ia juga pertama kali sejak lebih dari sementara bahawa spesies tanpa kenalan baru, tanpa kenalan luminos dari Singapura, telah ditemui. of firefly, a luminous firefly from Singapore was found. And so, we named it Lusiola Singapura. There is a Malay saying,

Alang-alang menyedut pekasam biar sampai ke pangkal lengan. If you are going to reach into the pickle jar, might as well put your whole arm in. The further I have gone into this work as researcher and educator in the field of biodiversity and conservation at Monash University, Malaysia, the more passionate I have become. I have transformed from a girl, a curious girl, wanting to know what kelip-kelip is, to a driven scientist committed to safeguarding the fireflies of the world.

The problem is that firefly habitats are disappearing fast. We are now in a race against time to name species before they disappear....tidak berhenti berhenti. Kami sekarang dalam perjuangan......membuka masa untuk menyebut spesies sebelum mereka berhenti berhenti. to work together with firefly lovers and stakeholders to identify and conserve threatened firefly species everywhere. Here's a flash of hope. Join me on this journey if you're keen. Fireflies need your help before they flash that one last time. Thank you. Support for this show comes from Airbnb. If you know me, you know I love staying in Airbnbs when I travel. They make my family feel most at home when we're away from home. As we settled down at

our Airbnb during a recent vacation to Palm Springs, I pictured my own home sitting empty. Wouldn't it be smart and better put to use welcoming a family like mine by hosting it on Airbnb? It feels like the practical thing to do, and with the extra income, I could save up for renovations to make the space even more inviting for ourselves and for future guests. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.ca slash host. That was Juan Farida, Akmal Jusso at TED Women 2023. If you're curious about TED's curation,

find out more at TED.com slash curation guidelines. And that's it for today. TED Talks Daily is part of the TED Audio Collective. This episode was produced and edited by our team, Martha Estefanos, Oliver Friedman, Brian Green, Autumn Thompson, and Alejandra Salazar. It was mixed by Christopher Fazi-Bogan. Additional support from Emma Taubner,

Daniela Balarezo, and Will Hennessey. I'm Elise Hugh. I'll be back tomorrow with a fresh idea for your feed. Thanks for listening. Looking for a fun challenge to share with your friends and family? TED now has games designed to keep your mind sharp while having fun. Visit TED.com slash games

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