Plants may be stationary, but they’re rarely still, says biologist Roger Hangarter, creator of the website Plants in Motion. Researchers are using time-lapse photography to study the biomechanics of plant movement. For example, in an August 2012 issue of the journal Science, physicist Sharon Gerbode, of Harvey Mudd College, and biologist Joshua Puzey, of Harvard University, explain how they used time-lapse, mathematical modelling and a prosthetic plant to understand how cucumber tendrils twist.
Credits
Music: Prelinger Archives
Images/video: Roger Hangarter, Joshua Puzey, Sharon Gerbode, Charles Bergquist
Editor: Annette Heist
Produced by Flora Lichtman
Meet the Producer
About Flora Lichtman
@flichtmanFlora Lichtman was the host of the podcast Every Little Thing. She’s a former Science Friday multimedia producer.