In order to better understand fundamental processes in life science at the molecular level, the precise observation of single molecule dynamics is of utmost interest. However, current techniques based on fluorescence measurements in aqueous solutions are unable to track changes in molecular structure with sufficient temporal resolution. Physicists at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) have now succeeded in further developing a photonic structure known from quantum optics – the planar optical antenna – for use in aqueous media to monitor dynamic processes. This enables conformational changes of individual biomolecules to be observed with the highest temporal resolution.