2014 Small World In Motion Competition

Vimentin cytoskeletal dynamics in a cell undergoing mitosis

Dr. Nancy Costigliola-Tarsky

Affiliation
Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Technique
Confocal
Magnification
40x

Oil film floating on water

Dr. John Hart

Affiliation
University of Colorado Boulder
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
Boulder, Colorado, USA
Technique
Reflected Light Differential Interference Contrast (Nomarski)
Magnification
12.5x

Thin film of volatile oil floating on a water surface.  Evaporation occurs in isolated pools a few microns deep.  Flow instabilities at the edges bring oil into the centers of the pools, forming droplets.  Coalescence leads to bigger drops that have more volume per unit of surface area, and slower evaporation.  Interference colors dramatize the motions.  The complex microscopic fluid dynamics are relevant to the longevity of fuel spills.

Rotifer (microscopic water creature)

Ralph Grimm

Location
Jimboomba, Queensland, Australia
Technique
Differential Interference Contrast
Magnification
750x

Rotifer (philodina) probing detrital material.