Product Description The TyranoSphere is a living, glowing orb. The sphere contains thousands of tiny single cell algae called dinoflagellates. These "dinos" use light to grow and produce a soothing blue light when swirled at night. Now you can enjoy the beauty of natural bioluminescence from the comfort of your own home. From the Manufacturer Connect with the Sea The Ocean is the origin of all life. And it continues to provide. Did you know that over 50% of the air we breathe is generated by the vast amounts of plant plankton in the Ocean, plant plankton like the dinoflagellates in the DinoSphere. Through a process called photosynthesis these little buggers crank out Oxygen (O2) while consuming harmful Carbon dioxide (CO2). And you can have both these healthy benefits in your home or office. Natural and Interactive No - not like your phone.. The DinoSphere contains totally natural dinoflagellates (tiny marine algae) in a custom hand-blown glass vessel. Remember that glass is made from melted sand thus we have combined sand and sea, light and life, air and water to create the DinoSphere. The DinoSphere does not produce light during the daytime. It is too busy collecting the light it needs to survive. Only at night (during night-time hours) will the DinoSphere produce natural light (bioluminescence) when it is gently swirled. Natural Light at Night Every night after dark you will be able to enjoy the soft natural blue light produced in earnest by thousands of tiny marine algae. Easy Care - Like a Plant During the day just keep your DinoSphere in a moderately lighted room (out of direct sunlight) while it is scrubbing the air converting global warming CO2 to life giving Oxygen. Uses Light to Recharge - Not Electricity The DinoSphere never runs out of batteries or butt dials your mom when you are at a party. Light (either refracted sunlight or artificial room light) will power your DinoSphere for nights to come. Art Infused with Science with a splash of Seawater BioPop has a passion for science, art and design. Our work can be seen in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and in homes and offices around the world. BioPop is focused on developing "living art" concepts that fuel the imagination, provide new answers for the way we live, and enrich our understanding of the relationship between nature, science and humanity. "The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious - the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science.” -Albert Einstein About the Startup Describe your product in 3 words.Smart Natural LightHow did you come up with the idea for this product?While trying to create a functional living 'BioLight' from dinoflagellates the Founders of BioPop realized that the Dino cultures they were working with were more than pools of single cell algae. 'The more we played with these guys more connected we became with them'. Friends and family joined in this aquatic connection and soon they were sharing their Dino friends with everyone around them. Children were fascinated, adults wanted to learn more about them, kids thought they were cool. Even some old people got it.What makes your product special?You can hold one of nature's most brilliant phenomena in the palm of your hand.What has been the best part of your startup experience?Night time!
S**R
They were actually a dull glow occasionally and lasted just long enough for the ...
The critters were not as glowing and bright as advertised. They were actually a dull glow occasionally and lasted just long enough for the warranty to expire.
S**L
The food for the things costs $15/month, and even ...
The food for the things costs $15/month, and even after feeding it every week for two months, it barely lights up now. Even when it was brand new, the lighting effect was too subtle to be worth it.
E**B
Very cool
I gave this along with another bottle of the drops to my 23 year old son for a birthday present. He has always been interested in science. He was thrilled to be able to see first hand the bioluminescent plankton he had only previously seen in photos of Costa Rica and other exotic locations. The set came well packaged with insulation and stickers indicating it contained living organisms & instructing you to open it immediately. It came with the globe, a package of the plankton (which actually looks a bit like one of the squeeze apple sauce packages for toddlers, so keep it away from young ones) and a bottle of the nutritional drops. Keep in mind that the plankton do not just glow in the dark. They only glow at night when they are swished around. Still very cool though. This is a great gift for the hard to shop for science buff friend or family member.
A**Y
This was really cool! Except that our critters were dead on arrival ...
This was really cool! Except that our critters were dead on arrival and thus it never worked. I gave it two stars instead of one because, amazon was helpful in telling me I should contact the reseller which was a bit more cumbersome than I would have preferred.
K**Y
Three Stars
Bought the large & the dino pets were dead after 1 week. I followed all the directions to a T! Very upsetting!
I**.
Love it!!
Such a unique product! Was super easy to set up and take care of. Works as a great gift idea!
F**Y
Frustated
Awful, did not work. Was reimbursed for receiving wrong size too.
S**R
I feel like many of the negative reviews are just user error...
Received this as a gift for Christmas and was so excited to be able to bring home some of the dinoflagellates I have been able to enjoy out in the wild! It was too cold during December to ship them so I had to wait a few months for them to arrive, but it was worth the wait. I do not know why others have had such trouble with them-- they are pretty easy to manage. They might not glow super brightly in areas with lots of ambient light and need a very dark room to be as blue as you see in the video, but that's how it is in real life as well! On full moons the glowing is not nearly as brilliant as during a new moon, and it makes total sense, people! My little ones are kept on the dresser in my bedroom where they are temperature-controlled and get lots of indirect sunlight. They are fed every Friday, and that's it! Easiest pet ever. I love to pick up my little orb and swirl it around, and mess with them every night before bed. I am considering getting one of those perpetual wave desk things so they can get more stimulation. I will admit the medium (or "food") is expensive but hey, it's cheaper than dog or cat food! I was sad to hear that BioPop has gone out of business, so I hope my little guys continue to thrive!
