pipa, Chinese lute, with 4 strings, a large pear-shaped body and a fretted fingerboard

The American Museum of Natural History’s “Creatures of Light” exhibit features jellyfish that glow green, anglerfish whose lantern-like bulbs dangle from their foreheads and luminous glowworms that hang mucus-like strands from cave ceilings to attract and ensnare their prey.

The first lute was invented during the Qin dynasty.