Scientists just captured a real-life “aura” glow from living beings.

 

 

Scientists just captured a real-life “aura” glow from living beings.

In 2025, biophotons—ultraweak particles of light emitted by living organisms—moved from the fringes of biology to the scientific mainstream.

 

Researchers captured a whole-body glow from living mice. 

 

Using highly sensitive detectors, Daniel Oblak and colleagues at the University of Calgary measured faint light emanating from the entire bodies of four hairless mice, then observed that this glow rapidly vanished after death. 

 

They also detected similar emissions from the leaves of an umbrella tree (Heptapleurum arboricola), strengthening the case that biophotons are a real and widespread biological phenomenon rather than experimental artefacts. The work helped resolve longstanding controversy in a field where the signals are so weak that disentangling them from other light sources, such as infrared radiation, has historically been difficult.

 

The eerie visual analogy to a “bodily aura” drew intense media and public interest, including from people who associated the glow with psychic healing. Oblak’s team, however, emphasises that the effect has a solid physical basis, likely linked to cellular structures such as mitochondria that generate energy. The renewed attention has spurred serious scientific proposals, particularly in plant science. 

 

One idea is to genetically tweak seeds to identify the mechanisms that control biophoton production, then use changes in these signals as a non-invasive indicator of whether seed germination is progressing normally. If successful, such techniques could give agriculture a powerful new tool: the ability to assess the viability and developmental status of large batches of seeds without touching or damaging them, turning a once-marginal curiosity into a potentially practical technology.

 

References (APA style)

Wilkins, A. (2025, December 25). A ghostly glow was seen emanating from living things in 2025. *New Scientist*.