Cells, as physical systems, are discrete, membrane-bound units of biological organization that maintain non-equilibrium thermodynamic states through regulated exchanges of matter and energy with their environment. They comprise structurally organized macromolecular assemblies—primarily lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates—partitioned into distinct compartments (e.g., cytosol, organelles) that support specialized biochemical networks. These systems exhibit emergent properties such as signal processing, self-replication, and adaptive response, governed by gene expression programs and biophysical constraints. At multiple scales, cells function as fundamental units of structure and function in organisms, integrating mechanical, chemical, and electrical processes within a dynamically regulated spatial architecture.
While many of life's mysteries remain unsolved, every biologist can describe the basic processes performed by a living organism, including energy use, reproduction, growth and development. While these characteristics can ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 1, 2026
1
51
A decade ago this summer, at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Jocelyn Malamy watched jellyfish cells "walk" toward each other to close a wound for the first time. An associate professor of molecular genetics and cell biology ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 30, 2026
0
10
Researchers have developed a way to program human cells to perform calculations and make autonomous decisions, similar to how computer chips work.
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 30, 2026
0
103
One of the most striking biological transitions in nature happens early in development, when an embryo transforms from a simple ball of cells into a highly ordered structure with distinct tissue layers that later develop ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 30, 2026
0
26
Cells can spontaneously change shape even without external signals, but the underlying mechanisms behind this form of self-organization have remained unclear. Now, researchers from Japan have discovered self-propelled treadmilling ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 25, 2026
0
11
Multicellular life depends on remarkable acts of cooperation. Every cell in the human body must sense what is happening around it, interpret signals from its neighbors and respond in ways that support the larger tissue. These ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 23, 2026
0
5
A new study led by Marco Fumasoni, principal investigator at Fundação GIMM, shows that evolution can substantially reduce cell size without significantly compromising cells' ability to grow. The work, carried out in yeast ...
Evolution
Jun 17, 2026
0
23
Scientists await a big splash in the Pacific Ocean as one of the most research-packed Dragon spacecraft to date returns, completing the 34th SpaceX commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station for NASA. ...
Space Exploration
Jun 16, 2026
0
13
Despite lacking brains or nervous systems, slime molds are capable of making surprisingly sophisticated decisions: navigating mazes, finding food and even remembering where they found it last time. How they manage to do all ...
Collagen, the protein that builds skin, bones, tendons and organs, exists inside cells as a liquidlike droplet rather than the long, rigid rod seen in textbooks over the last half-century, according to a new study from the ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 11, 2026
0
1284
