Science in culture.

The discovery in 1939 of a reindeer mutant characterized by a luminescent snout (and popularly known as 'red-nosed') is a neglected chapter in the history of selective breeding. The mutation initially resulted in the young fawn (nicknamed Rudolph) being ostracized, in much the same manner as documented by H. Christian Andersen in his classic account of the so-called 'ugly duckling'. However, the timely intervention of S. Claus, who breeds reindeer in Russia's Chukotka peninsula, ensured the persistence of the new trait, which has proved navigationally beneficial on a world-wide basis. Here I show that the precise mechanism for the luminescence in the reindeer Rangifer tarandus rubens is identical to that which causes the glow in railroad worms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]