Ultraweak photon emissions as optical markers of morphogenetic tissue dynamics

Highlights • Ultraweak photon emissions (UPEs) were detected in quiescent and actively regenerating human tissues • Tissue UPE spectra and entropy vary with morphogenetic program, diverging from environmental background • Optical readouts correlate with evoked bioelectric oscillations and ion‐flux rhythms during patterning • Label-free photomorphogenography emerges as a novel platform for monitoring regenerative dynamics Summary Living tissues are metabolically intensive systems that release ultraweak photon emissions (UPEs) predictive of oxidative load, chronological aging, and impaired repair capacity. UPEs can be triggered by morphogens and mechanical cues, yet are also produced spontaneously by cells in homeostasis and can be passively captured with modern photodetectors in light-tight settings. Evidence suggests that UPEs participate in intercellular signaling, and cellular architectures may even provide waveguides supporting optical channels for long-range pattern control. However, it remains unclear whether these passive emissions can faithfully report morphogenetic states in the way that bioelectric and ionic fields guide pattern formation. Here we demonstrate that tissue UPEs diverge from ambient photon noise in both spectral composition and entropic structure, respond dynamically to wound induction, growth-factor stimulation, and lineage commitment, and show moderate concordance with oscillatory shifts in resting membrane potential. We place these findings alongside emerging imaging modalities, highlight novel parameters obtainable only from photon statistics, outline limitations inherent to light-based reporters, and propose the foundation of a next-generation, label-free functional assay for development and repair: photomorphogenography.