Cell biology is a branch of biological sciences that investigates the structure, function, dynamics, and regulation of cells as the fundamental units of life. It encompasses the study of cellular organelles, membranes, cytoskeleton, intracellular trafficking, signal transduction, cell cycle control, cell division, differentiation, and cell death. Using approaches from molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, microscopy, and biophysics, cell biology analyzes how macromolecular assemblies and biochemical networks give rise to cellular behaviors. It also examines cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions, and provides a mechanistic framework for understanding development, physiology, and pathologies such as cancer, neurodegeneration, and infectious diseases.
Passing on fundamental life lessons from parent to offspring is not unique to humans and animals. Ferns do it too. Not with words, but through pressure. By applying force at precisely the right locations, a fern tells its ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 20, 2026
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In human cells, DNA carries chemical or "epigenetic" marks that decide how genes will be used in different tissues. Yet in a group of specialized cells, known as "germ cells," which will later form sperm and eggs, these inherited ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 20, 2026
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29
How does our DNA store the massive amount of information needed to build a human being? And what happens when it's stored incorrectly? Jesse Dixon, MD, Ph.D., has spent years studying the way this genome is folded in 3D space—knowing ...
Biotechnology
Feb 18, 2026
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Multicellularity is one of the most profound phenomena in biology, and relies on the ability of a single cell to reorganize itself into a complex organism. It underpins the diversity in the animal kingdom, from insects to ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 12, 2026
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When a cell divides, it performs a feat of microscopic choreography—duplicating its DNA and depositing it into two new cells. The spindle is the machinery behind that process: It latches onto chromosomes (where DNA is stored) ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 11, 2026
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70
A new study may change the way scientists think about the distance traveled by tiny bubbles carrying signals between cells that are embedded in tissue. These particles, called extracellular vesicles, are known to safely carry ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Feb 11, 2026
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11
Neural crest cells are a population of stem cells that invade the embryo in early development. They play a big role in what you look like: the pigments of your eyes, of your skin, and the bone structure of your face are all ...
Scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University have uncovered how fertilized rice seeds begin to divide and establish their "body axis." Using a new imaging method, they discovered that while the first cell divides in an asymmetric ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 9, 2026
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The nuclear envelope (NE) is a dynamic and selective barrier that organizes genome function and nucleocytoplasmic communication, and its structural deterioration is a hallmark of aging associated with diverse human diseases. ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 9, 2026
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64
Physical forces from gravity, muscle contraction, and more have strong impacts on how the cells in our bodies behave. For instance, weight-bearing exercise helps stave off osteoporosis because cells in our bones sense that ...
Bio & Medicine
Feb 9, 2026
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