Given the growing interest in conceptualizing cell motility in terms of collective behavior by autonomous units, here is a novel report of cellular collective behavior on a major scale to an unexpected synchronicity. The cells in this case are free-floating zooplankton across the Arctic Ocean. Kim Last and colleagues at the Scottish Association for Marine Bioscience, the Arctic University of Norway, and the University of St. Andrews report in Current Biology that during the dark days of arctic winter, zooplankton follow a vertical migration pattern toward the surface that switches from the 24-hour solar to a 24.8-hour lunar “day.” Further, once a lunar month (29.5 days), the zooplankton sink to 50 meters during the full moon, probably, the authors believe, to avoid moonlight-guided predators.
About the Author:
John Fleischman was the ASCB Senior Science Writer from 2000 to 2016. Best unpaid perk of the job? Working with new grad students and Nobel Prize winners.
