Overview
The Nikon Small World in Motion competition annually recognizes excellence in time-lapse and video microscopy, presenting visual documentation of microscopic biological phenomena. The competition highlights the dynamic aspects of life at scales invisible to the naked eye.
Research Context
The Nikon Small World in Motion competition serves as a platform for showcasing advancements and artistic merit in microscopy. Its focus is on moving images, distinguishing it from still photography competitions. The competition aims to reveal the intricate, often unseen, movements and processes occurring within microscopic environments. Entries are judged on criteria including originality, informational content, technical proficiency, and visual impact.
Approach
The competition solicits time-lapse and video microscopy submissions from researchers and enthusiasts globally. The judging process evaluates entries based on scientific relevance, technical skill, and aesthetic quality. The winning entries for the current year exemplify diverse microscopic subjects and advanced imaging techniques.
Findings
The first-place entry, submitted by Dr. Wim van Egmond, captures the feeding behavior of a freshwater rotifer (Floscularia ringens). This video illustrates the rotifer's ciliary crown, which creates a current to draw food particles into its mouth. The rotifer's ability to retract into its tube for protection is also depicted.
The second-place entry, by Dr. Philippe P. Schoofs, features a single-celled slime mold (Physarum polycephalum). The footage demonstrates the slime mold's rhythmic pulsations, which drive its movement across a petri dish. This movement is characterized by a pulsating network of protoplasmic tubes.
Third place was awarded to a video by Dr. Daniel Han, showcasing the reproductive process of Dictyostelium discoideum, a social amoeba. The video details the aggregation of individual amoebae into a multicellular slug, which then transforms into a fruiting body that releases spores.
Additional recognized entries include:
- A video of a marine hydroid (Halocordyle disticha) by Dr. Igor Siwanowicz, illustrating its rapid predation of a brine shrimp.
- Footage of a tardigrade (water bear) by William Salley, depicting its movements within a moss sample.
- An entry by Dr. Jianqun Zhang and Dr. Yan Lu, which visualizes the development of a zebrafish embryo's heart and central nervous system.
- A submission by Frank Fox, showing crystallization processes in microfluidic channels.
- A video by Dr. Tomonori Noda, featuring the development of a scarab beetle embryo.
- An entry by Dr. Yujun Tang and Dr. Jianqun Zhang, capturing the cellular dynamics of a developing fruit fly embryo.
- A video by Dr. Igor Siwanowicz, depicting the predation of a water flea by a hydra.
Why This Matters
The competition highlights the visual complexity and dynamic nature of microscopic life forms and processes. It underscores the ongoing utility of microscopy in revealing the fundamental behaviors and structures of organisms at cellular and organismal levels. The submissions demonstrate the diversity of biological phenomena observable through advanced imaging techniques.