The Bacteria that Lights Up This Squid’s Life

In the best relationships, both parties benefit. And the relationship between the bobtail squid and the bacteria, Vibrio fischeri, has been so good that they’ve evolved together.

Let’s meet this dynamic duo helping each other get the most out of life!

Source: Mark Norman // Museum Victoria // Wikipedia

Life’s better when we have someone looking after us. And the symbiotic relationship between the bobtail squid and their bacteria friends does just that! The squid provides a home for the bacteria, while the bacteria glow at night to camouflage their host from below to protect them from predators.

In most cases, the immune system attempts to get rid of foreign bacteria… but somehow, Vibrio fischeri has found a found a supportive home in its squid host. Sarah McAnulty, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Connecticut is studying how this relationship actually works. And one of our absolute favorite channels, SciFri, brings her research to us. Check it out:

Pretty amazing, right?

One of the many things that nature shows us is how to handle our relationships.

We don’t have enough time to have something in our life that isn’t lighting it up.

Therefore, if there’s someone in your life that isn’t making it better, get rid of them. But if they happen to be adding something wonderful… hold onto them. Or, as the bobtail squid does—absorb them into your life.

Stay open to new possibilities! You may be surprised by who has your back.

• Sam

“No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” — Albert Einstein