In the evolutionary history of life, the ability of a cell to separate its inner world from the external environment was an important turning point. The so-called plasma membrane lets cells control ...

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

(Nanowerk News) Drawing inspiration from natural sensory systems, an MIT-led team has designed a novel sensor that could detect the same molecules that naturally occurring cell receptors can identify.

Proteins long known to be essential for hearing have been hiding a talent: they also act as gatekeepers that shuffle fatty ...

Cholesterol is an essential component of the membrane surrounding every human cell, despite its poor reputation as a health concern when its blood levels are too high. The key to health is having the ...

Researchers have discovered that damage to the cell membrane promotes cellular senescence, or cell aging. Our cells are surrounded by a fragile membrane that's only 5 nanometers thick, 1/20 of a soap ...

Inside the human body, countless microscopic processes keep us alive and functioning. Fluids move, gases are exchanged, and charged particles flow in and out of cells to maintain balance. One of the ...

Scientists link TMC protein membrane disruption to hearing loss, showing how mutations, drugs and noise trigger hair cell death and deafness.

image: An MIT-led team designed a sensor that may be deployed to screen patients for hard-to-diagnose cancers, or metastatic tumors. The device draws inspiration from the membrane that surrounds all ...