By Ashley Tysiac

Copyright popularmechanics

Did you know that you’ve been glowing your whole life? No, you’re not bioluminescent like colorful jellyfish or bright fireflies, but you do emit a faint light that isn’t even visible to the naked eye.Scientists have discovered that living things release weak photon emissions that are too dim to see, but still part of the visible light spectrum. The real mystery: What’s causing them?To find out, scientists ran groundbreaking tests on mice and plants to directly measure the photon emissions for the first time. They found the glow isn’t from common sources of light like heat or chemical reactions, but rather, from processes deep within living organisms, all the way to the subatomic level.Stress-related changes at a cellular level play a crucial role in photon release, according to the scientists’ study in The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. It’s a breakthrough finding that could have huge implications for how we monitor our health, including diagnosing injury.For the full story on how scientists uncovered the source of the mysterious glow in living organisms, read Pop Mech’s full feature on the ultraweak photon emission phenomenon. And for more incredible scientific breakthroughs, join Pop Mech Pro for exclusive access to our collections on health, technology, and more.