COLUMBIA — It won’t be long before the synchronous fireflies will light up the forest at Congaree National Park. And those ...

Yet swarms of fireflies clearly exercise a level of control over when they light up, and they do so only in specialized organs, and those are aspects scientists are still keen to understand better.

Learn how fireflies synchronize their flashes — and how that natural coordination could inspire future small‑scale robotics.

May, a mesmerizing natural light show takes over Congaree National Park as synchronous fireflies flash in perfect harmony. This rare and breathtaking spectacle draws visitors from around the world, ...

Nights at Congaree National Park are as inky black as any place in South Carolina. But for a few weeks each year, the darkness is pierced by the synchronized flashing of tiny lightning bugs. The ...

It begins as random flashes of greenish-yellow light in the night. And then, slowly, something incredible unfolds. A rhythm of pulsating light illuminates Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The ...