How did fireflies evolve, anyway?

[Elok]

This just occurred to me tonight, and it's a head-scratcher. It would require three unrelated things, at least: a translucent, hollow butt, the manufacture of two exotic chemicals, and a mechanism to mix them in minute quantities. All of those would be useless by themselves, or so I'd think. One genetic line developing all three simultaneously is way out there...anyone know of any clever speculation on the subject? If so, post quickly, because I'm sure this will be forcibly converted to an intelligent design thread in ten posts, no matter what I say to forbid it.

[Asher]

Cause I'd get a thousand hugs
From ten thousand lightening bugs
As they tried to teach me how to dance.
A foxtrot above my head,
A sock-hop beneath my bed,
The disco ball is just hanging by a thread.

BEST LYRICS EVER.

[loinburger]

Google says it has something to do with Joss Whedon

[Theben]

Probably developed a symbiotic relationship with some glowing bacteria, etc. and later it became part of their body.

I figure if mitochondria can become part of our cellular structure and viruses part of our DNA, why not glow-in-the-dark parasites become part of an insects butt?

[Kuciwalker]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly

you're welcom

[N35t0r]

Kuci should be a little bit more generous and spare the e as well.

[Asher]

If you drop the "e", the "o" is to be replaced with a "u" by the Teenage Girl Txting Shortform Act of 2005

[Kuciwalker]

civil disobedience

[Tattila the Hun]

Cause I'd get a thousand hugs
From ten thousand lightening bugs
As they tried to teach me how to dance.
A foxtrot above my head,
A sock-hop beneath my bed,
The disco ball is just hanging by a thread.

BEST LYRICS EVER.

Take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don't care, I'm still free
You can't take the sky from me
Take me out to the black
Tell them I ain't comin' back
Burn the land and boil the sea
You can't take the sky from me
There's no place I can be
Since I found Serenity
But you can't take the sky from me...

[Elok]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly

you're welcom

That doesn't actually answer my question, but thank yo.

[Guynemer]

If so, post quickly, because I'm sure this will be forcibly converted to an intelligent design thread in ten posts, no matter what I say to forbid it.

Umm... then why post the thread in the first place?

[Elok]

Doesn't mean I shouldn't try. Sort of like a charge of the light brigade, only without all the dead limeys. And as it turns out, I was wrong about that. It sank like a rock, see?

[N35t0r]

Charge of the light brigade

[The Mad Monk]

Charge of the lightning bugs

[Drake Tungsten]

And as it turns out, I was wrong about that. It sank like a rock, see?

I stole your thunder with a thread on a more interesting question.