J. Mathias Weber

The Molecule that Makes Jellyfish Glow

Teaser

The molecule HBDI is the “chromophore” that gives green fluorescent protein in jellyfish its glow. Together with Visiting Fellow Prof. Jan Verlet (Durham University, UK), graduate students Wyatt Zagorec-Marks and Madison Foreman from the Weber Group examined the photophysics of this molecule and found that the environment—down to a single water molecule—surrounding it can greatly influence its behavior.