Jellyfish Ice Cream Glows When Licked

Next Nature Network is not the only group to experiment with futuristic ice cream. Charlie Harry Francis, the food inventor behind the company Lick Me I’m Delicious, combined two completely different elements: ice cream and jellyfish. The result is the ice cream that glows in the dark.

Francis collaborated with a scientist from China who created a synthetic version of the bioluminescent protein from jellyfish, so no sea creatures were hurt in the making of this dessert. These calcium-activated proteins react when they are agitated – basically, they glow when the ice cream is licked. Funny but expensive: each scoop of fluorescent gelato costs around $220.

In the natural world, animals use bioluminescence to attract mates, warn predators or light up the environment. What message are humans sending by eating glowing ice-cream?