New experimental results have cast doubt on earlier proposals suggesting that spherical, cell-like membranes could form in ...

When a virus infects a bacterial cell, the viral genome is the first component to be fully injected into the cell, making it an ideal immune target. A bacterial enzyme anchored to the membrane ...

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, ...

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

A lipid hidden within cells called phosphatidylserine reveals how the body initiates the removal of threats and cellular debris.

A three-dimensional model of different organelle membranes created from high-resolution imaging data reveals that membranes vary in thickness. Darker colors indicate thicker regions of the membrane, ...

Scientists simulated an asteroid impact, and Deinococcus radiodurans’ cell membranes made it through. This suggests that life ...

Many biological processes are regulated by electricity-from nerve impulses to heartbeats to the movement of molecules in and out of cells. A new study by Scripps Research scientists reveals a ...

Engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a technique that uses microbubbles and ultrasound to help relatively large cancer drugs enter tumor cells and cause them to self-destruct. Dubbed ...

A new study from Scripps Research reveals how a key touch-sensing protein detects mechanical forces with remarkable precision. Each time something lightly presses against your skin, specialized sensor ...

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 ...