Students in Shoreham-Wading River High School’s Advance Placement biology class are examining many scientific topics and were excited with their latest lab project: making bacteria glow. Working with teacher Sherry Neff, they transformed the bacteria with a plasmid that contained the luciferase gene, which originates from bacteria that live in the light organ of the fish Monocentric japonicus, commonly known as the pineapple fish. According to Neff, the luciferase gene was originally cloned at Stony Brook University. A similar gene is what causes bioluminescence in fireflies.