In the evolutionary history of life, the ability of a cell to separate its inner world from the external environment was an ...

Cell membranes protect and organize cells. All cells have an outer plasma membrane that regulates not only what enters the cell, but also how much of any given substance comes in. Unlike prokaryotes, ...

Researchers at the University of Michigan have revealed that cells use a previously unknown feat of molecular craftsmanship to help protect their larger host organisms. The building blocks required ...

Researchers shifted the focus to the internal properties of the membrane itself, specifically its viscosity, highlighting its critical role in controlling deformation and dynamics during essential ...

Previously unknown access points in cell membrane proteins have been discovered, enabling laboratory-developed drugs to modify cell function. The discovery was made possible through computer ...

Mitochondria are essential for cell survival, repair, and adaptation. Not only do they generate most of the energy needed ...

Scientists have uncovered an elegant biophysical trick that tuberculosis-causing bacteria use to survive inside human cells, a discovery that could lead to new strategies for fighting one of the world ...

An enduring challenge for the commercialization of genetic therapies is delivering the therapeutic molecules to the proper destination within the body. Viruses are natural delivery systems for nucleic ...

The finding helps researchers better understand and potentially support the ability of cells to stop the spread of pathogens without going overboard ...

Allan Albig receives funding from the National Institute of Health. Think back to that basic biology class you took in high school. You probably learned about organelles, those little “organs” inside ...

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. The bottom of the ocean is cold, dark, and under extreme pressure. It is not a place suited to the physiology of us surface dwellers: At ...