Ben Brandao’s first encounter with comb jellies occurred in 2017 while leading kayaking tours in Cape Canaveral, Florida, focused on bioluminescence. During a tour that October, two buses of geneticists arrived, eager to see comb jellies glowing in the water. These creatures, which emit light when disturbed, piqued the interest of the scientists not just because of their bioluminescence, but due to their evolutionary significance. Comb jellies have been around for over 600 million years, making them some of the oldest living organisms on Earth, and their unique biology, especially their digestive system, had recently stunned the scientific community.
Before Brandao's tour, comb jellies had made headlines in 2016 for their surprising digestive trait. Biologist William Browne’s discovery that these creatures had both a mouth and an anus—unlike other simple organisms that share one opening for eating and excreting—changed the understanding of animal evolution. This finding, published in "Science", highlighted how this “through-gut” system made eating more efficient and hygienic, earning comb jellies the title of having the "oldest asshole" in the animal kingdom. This revelation sparked significant interest, and geneticists, like those who visited Brandao, were keen to study these evolutionary marvels.
In 2020, during a sunset kayak tour on Guana Lake, Brandao observed a rare phenomenon—comb jellies glowing year-round. Typically, bioluminescence in these creatures occurs seasonally, but in the lake’s unique environment, the conditions allowed them to glow at all times. After several months of consistent sightings, Brandao’s discovery attracted local researchers who joined his tours to investigate the cause. While the exact factors are still being studied, the lake’s shallow, sheltered ecosystem seems to provide the perfect conditions for comb jellies to thrive and emit their glow throughout the year.