Time-lapses highlight processes that are underway all around us - often constantly - but which remain intangible in a given moment because of the timespan across which they occur. . The amount that the plants around us actually move in the course of one day remains invisible to us. The full energy and breath of tidal rise and fall is lost to the observer who watches the waves. Even the patient ones who sit by the shore for the entire tidal shift can never appreciate the inherent pulse in the way the moon moves the oceans. How slowly must we look if we are to observe these things? . These realisations that a time-lapse allows lead to other comparisons. The speed of the tide tells us about the speed at which the moon orbits the earth. Seeds germinate surprisingly fast when the conditions are right, and we wake to our kitchen gardens teeming with new sprouts. Its only when the sun hits the horizon that we realise how quickly it sinks. Or rather, how quickly the earth beneath our feet is spinning. An aerial view shows us how many lights a town turns on when darkness falls. . Time-lapses help to make these intangibles tangible. As the monsoons come to India, many photographers will go out to capture time-lapse videos of the building moisture-laden clouds. But one doesn't have to travel far to marvel at the pace at which natural and man-made processes unfold around us. . Look around you. Find a phone or camera that can shoot a time-lapse and apply your creativity to capturing time. Send us some of your video experiments. We'd love to see them. . #earthcolab #InTheField #timelapse #time #slowlooking #practiceofperspective

When we think of the oceans, often the first things that come to mind are #fish #marinemammals #coralreefs #islands #ships #climatechange . It is not often that our thoughts of the oceans bring images of birds to mind. . And yet, there are many that - in all weather, foraging between waves and on the winds, fluttering, gliding, skimming - live off, on and with the ocean. Some of them don't set foot on land for years at a time. . The global population of seabirds has dropped by nearly 70 percent since formal monitoring began in the 1950s. Each of the 9 orders of these birds, from the trans-oceanic voyagers like the albatrosses to the shore hugging penguins, are facing numerous threats. Habitat disturbances. Commercial fishing that decimates fish populations. Pollution. Climate change. We rarely consider their plight, because they exist far beyond our horizons. . Will they get lost at sea? . "I now belong to a higher cult of mortals, for I have seen the albatross" - A reading from "The Island at the end of the Earth" by Peter Matthiessen. . #earthcolab #ocean #oceanbirds #literature #sea #horizons #albatross #nature

In this reading from the Pocket Atlas of Remote Islands by Judith Schalansky, Savita (@in.other.news) shares Darwin's experience and musings from South Keeling Islands. . We have altered our perception of the coral reef - this great and complex organism - many times through history. It has inspired awe, respect, curiosity, indifference and commodification through the scientific, technological, economic, political and aesthetic values projected on it. . These architectural wonders depend on an elaborate alliance between invertebrates and algae. . Coral polyps host algae that possess an indispensable power - photosynthesis. They receive a significant amount of their nutrition from this alliance. The coral polyps themselves secrete calcium carbonate and, as new coral replaces old, build larger and larger limestone deposits. In doing so the polyps provide the algae with carbon dioxide and other ingredients required for photosynthesis, thereby completing the symbiosis. . Coral is sculpted through this simultaniously robust and yet fragile relationship. To survive, a living reef must tirelessly and continuously rebuild in this collaborative manner - countering the elements in a constantly shifting world.

@t.a.s.n.e.e.m.k.h.a.n found some squid eggs attached to some ghost nets and decided to take a closer look at them. No animals were harmed in the making of this video. . But lots of questions were raised. - which other animals belong to the same 'class' as squid (the cephalopods)? - how many times do they mate in a lifetime? - is it true that the oldest cultural depiction of these creatures dates back to 2000 BC? . Do you have any questions about cephalopods? Share them with us! . #InTheField #earthcolab #throughthelookingglass #marinesystems #microscopy #cephalopod #squid

Cameras can be set up to capture a subject in ways that can enhance our observation and understanding of things. Timelapse photography is one incredible approach to the craft of extended observation. . Capturing change across varied time scales opens a portal to another temporal perspective - what it takes for plants to creep, insects to metamorphose, animals to migrate, the tides to rise, seasons to change or the stars to move across a night sky. . Here, viewing a longer process in a much shorter interval than it took to transpire highlights the significant changes that a dragonfly undergoes within 20 minutes of emerging from the water. . How long do these creatures live as aquatic nymphs before metamorphosing into the flying acrobatic insects we know? . What do dragonfly nymphs eat? . Have you ever seen one? Now you have some clues about what to look for. . #InTheField #observinglifeforms #metamorphosis #odonata #dragonfly #nymph #timelapse #worldasaclassroom #monsoon #wetlands #earthcolab

Earth CoLab is charting a week long expedition within the Phang Nga Bay in Thailand this October (diwali break). Curated to inspire learning about many diverse aspects of the ocean, aboard SY Diva Andaman a traditional wooden schooner. This is a realisation of Earth CoLab's dream project to set up an interdisciplinary research vessel which breaks barriers to learning. There are no prerequisites to apply. write to info@earthcolab.com for more details