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Infographic: Anatomical Construction by Cell Collectives
Infographic: Anatomical Construction by Cell Collectives
Understanding this complex and still largely enigmatic process will pave the way for researchers to control the development of new morphologies.
Infographic: Anatomical Construction by Cell Collectives
Infographic: Anatomical Construction by Cell Collectives

Understanding this complex and still largely enigmatic process will pave the way for researchers to control the development of new morphologies.

Understanding this complex and still largely enigmatic process will pave the way for researchers to control the development of new morphologies.

physical forces

How Groups of Cells Cooperate to Build Organs and Organisms
Michael Levin | Sep 1, 2020 | 10+ min read
Understanding biology’s software—the rules that enable great plasticity in how cell collectives generate reliable anatomies—is key to advancing tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
Why Do We Forget How to Walk on Ice?
Scott Grafton | Jan 13, 2020 | 3 min read
A new book explores the crosstalk between mind and body and how it helps humans navigate their worlds.
Infographic: Paraspeckle Form and Function
Archa Fox | Dec 1, 2019 | 2 min read
What do scientists know about this membraneless nuclear body discovered less than two decades ago?
magnetic tweezers
Intracellular Magnetic Manipulations
Ruth Williams | Jun 1, 2019 | 2 min read
Optimized tweezers enable precise 3-D manipulations of a cell’s organelles.
Infographic: What Are Membraneless Organelles?
Michael Crabtree and Tim Nott | Dec 1, 2018 | 2 min read
The physical principles that dictate the formation of these subcellular compartments are simple, but they dictate the organelles’ complex functions.
Sounding Out Cell Stickiness
Ruth Williams | Dec 1, 2018 | 3 min read
Acoustic forces can be used to differentiate adherent from non-adherent cells.
These Organelles Have No Membranes
Michael Crabtree and Tim Nott | Dec 1, 2018 | 10+ min read
From making ribosomes to protecting the integrity of the genome, these membraneless compartments play important roles in the cell. Their behavior is rooted in basic physics.
Opinion: Stop Ignoring This Filament Crucial to Muscle Function
Julio M. Fernández | Sep 1, 2018 | 5 min read
Titin was discovered four decades ago, but some physiology textbooks fail to recognize the important role it plays in muscle contraction.
Water Level in a Cell Can Determine Its Fate
Kerry Grens | Sep 27, 2017 | 2 min read
Adding or removing water changes how stem cells differentiate.
The Mechanobiology Garage
Andy Tay | Jul 16, 2017 | 7 min read
New tools for investigating how physical forces affect cells
Contributors
Ben Andrew Henry | Feb 1, 2017 | 2 min read
Meet some of the people featured in the February 2017 issue of The Scientist.
May the Force Be with You
Ning Wang | Feb 1, 2017 | 10 min read
The dissection of how cells sense and propagate physical forces is leading to exciting new tools and discoveries in mechanobiology and mechanomedicine.
Infographic: Following the Force
Ning Wang | Jan 31, 2017 | 1 min read
Physical forces propagate from the outside of cells inward and vice versa.
Contributors
Catherine Offord | Apr 1, 2016 | 3 min read
Meet some of the people featured in the April 2016 issue of The Scientist.
The Forces of Cancer
Lance L. Munn and Rakesh K. Jain | Apr 1, 2016 | 10 min read
A tumor’s physical environment fuels its growth and causes treatment resistance.
Under Pressure
Lance L. Munn and Rakesh K. Jain | Mar 31, 2016 | 1 min read
The causes and consequences of physical forces in the tumor microenvironment
Cellular Rehab
Elie Dolgin | Dec 1, 2015 | 10+ min read
Physical therapy and exercise are critical to the success of cell therapies approaching the clinic.
Modern Rehab
The Scientist | Nov 30, 2015 | 1 min read
See the soldier whose recovery from a debilitating muscle injury was greatly aided by a cellular therapy plus physical therapy.
Fluke Forces
Dan Cossins | Apr 1, 2014 | 4 min read
Dolphins prove that they rely on muscle power, rather than a trick of fluid dynamics, to race through water at high speeds.
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