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 ...

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

A well-fitted ‘disguise’ allows transplanted mitochondria to slip into cells whose own mitochondria are defective, scientists ...

A simulated cell in the early stages of division. Left half shows membrane (green cubes), and ribosomes (yellow/purple) interwoven through in the cell’s chromosome (red). Right side shows all the ...

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have built a computer simulation that tracks the entire life cycle ...

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, ...

“Our results suggested that microorganisms can survive much more extreme conditions than previously thought, potentially ...

Bacteria are a cornerstone of the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, helping produce everything from drugs and beer to biodiesel and fertilizer. The pharmaceutical industry, in particular, relies ...

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 ...

Cholesterol enhances melanoma cell invasion by making nuclei squishier, revealing a potential treatment target in cancer progression.

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 ...