Using high-speed videography and microscopy, I record the movements and behaviors of live plankton collected from Boston and the surrounding harbor. Filmed at frame rates far beyond normal human perception, these recordings reveal a hidden world of rapid reflexes, fluid dynamics, and complex interactions unfolding at microscopic scales. Because of their tiny nervous systems and extremely fast reaction times, many plankton effectively experience time differently than we do. High-speed imaging allows their movements to unfold in slow motion, offering a closer approximation of how these organisms may perceive and navigate their environments. The work explores scale, perception, and the strange choreography of microscopic life through experimental imaging technologies.
Microscopy Technique: Phase Contrast, DIC Frame Rate: 1000 fps Camera: Chronos 2.1
Copepod escape reactions can occur in as little as 2–3 milliseconds, revealing rapid reflexes and sudden directional changes normally invisible to the human eye. Jellyfish contractions generate rhythmic pulses used for swimming and feeding, while polychaete larvae use dense bands of beating cilia both for propulsion and to generate feeding currents that pull particles through the surrounding water. Tintinnids and other single-celled ciliates similarly use coordinated ciliary motion for feeding, sensing, and navigation, creating complex microcurrents that become visible through high-speed microscopy.