And yet, every person has their own aura, say scientists

At the heart of life sciences, a fascinating field is blossoming that connects light with life: biophotonics. Although the term sounds like it’s bordering on futuristic manufacturing, its foundations are based on solid research and promising applications. How can invisible light help advance medicine?

Let’s start with what biophotons are? They are very faint flashes of light that all living organisms – including humans, animals and plants – naturally give off. They appear during everyday processes that occur in cells, such as cellular respiration. This light is too faint to be seen with the naked eye, but it can be captured using very sensitive cameras and specialized equipment. It’s as if the body naturally “glows” from the inside – completely invisibly, but really.

Biophotonics is a modern field of science that combines biology and technology. It focuses on how light interacts with living organisms – from whole tissues to single cells. Scientists study how organisms absorb, reflect or emit light to better understand what is happening inside the body. This makes it possible to create new methods of diagnosing diseases, tracking life processes and even treating them – all with the help of light.

Although the word “aura” is often associated with esoteric topics, recent scientific research shows that the phenomenon has a solid foundation in the world of science. A team led by Dr. Daniel Oblak from the University of Calgary conducted innovative experiments on mice using advanced cameras that can capture single photons of light.

Scientists observed the emission of so-called biophotons – very weak light emitted by living organisms – and checked how it disappears after the death of the animals. The results clearly showed that living beings indeed emit such light, which almost completely disappears with the cessation of life. These groundbreaking findings were published in the prestigious journal American Chemical Society Publications.

Biophotonics uses both classical imaging techniques and modern methods based on the principles of quantum physics, which allows for detailed analysis of processes occurring at the level of cells and molecules. In practice, this can significantly facilitate early non-invasive diagnostics, which will help detect various types of diseases, but also monitor them. The amount of emitted biophotons can provide valuable information on the health of the body, especially those on the level of oxidative stress - a process associated with the development of many serious diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes or cancer.

As experts predict, biophotonics can help in agriculture to monitor plant health and quickly detect emerging diseases. In the food industry, thanks to the analysis of biophotons, it will be possible to assess the freshness and quality of products. In turn, in environmental protection, this technology can be used to control the level of pollution and assess the condition of natural ecosystems.

At this stage, thanks to technological advances and scientific research, we can expect new diagnostic methods, therapies and health monitoring tools. Biophotonics applications can revolutionize medicine, agriculture and environmental protection, opening up new possibilities for understanding and interacting with the living world.

What about spirituality? Although biophotonics is a scientifically based field, some researchers suggest that it may also have connections with spirituality. There is a hypothesis that biophotons may play an important role in communication between cells and in regulating processes occurring in living organisms. Some even attribute them to the so-called "life energy". However, these concepts still require in-depth research and scientific confirmation.