“His only hope for existence on this planet is as a gigolo. He’s gotta find himself a babe, and then he’s gotta latch on for life.”
I missed Edith Widder’s TED talk on ocean bioluminescence when it came out in 2010. Had I known, you would have been seeing this much sooner. It clocks in at 17 minutes, but don’t let that intimidate you; it speeds by. There’s a little something here for the biophiles, engineers, and daring explorers in all of us.
For a high-res version of this video, click here.
What I would have given to have been in that Wasp suit when she turned the lights out.
That jellyfish burglar alarm is just fantastically beautiful. Notice how the pattern is slightly different with each rotation. Why does it remind me of an ’80s electronic toy?
For the record, I am so with Edith on the whole, “When someone offers you a trip to the deep sea, you say YES.” In fact, I’m actively looking for a low-budget ticket to several thousand clicks down; it’s a dream of mine. I’m no Dennis Tito, but I can write. If you know someone traveling to the deep sea who might be in need of a science writer specializing in biodiversity and natural history who doesn’t eat much and fits conveniently in most overhead bins (5’2″, 108 lb.), LET ME KNOW. : )
For a more in-depth look at deep sea life which Dr. Widder helped work on, see the Deep Sea episode of Blue Planet, available through netflix in the US (and mercifully narrated by David Attenborough, and not Oprah). You will not regret it.