Scientists Try To Map Architecture Of ‘Happy, Healthy Cells’ To Better Understand Diseases
Scientists have been limited in their ability to assess the structure of healthy cells but a new tool may help to see inside of them. In other news, a look at giant, cell-like viruses that have confounded researchers.
The Wall Street Journal:
Mapping The Secret Lives Of Human Cells
What does a human cell look like? That is somewhat of a mystery because most current cellular models are static and based on limited data, according to scientists from the Allen Institute for Cell Science in Seattle. Until recently researchers lacked the tools to assess cells and their tiny internal structures, known as organelles, in real time on a large scale, they say. (Hernandez, 4/6)
NPR:
Giant Virus Origins Become A Little Clearer
Viruses are supposed to be tiny and simple — so tiny and simple that it's debatable whether they're even alive. They're minimalist packets of genetic information, relying entirely on the cells the infect in order to survive and reproduce. But in 2003, researchers identified a new kind of virus that that turned scientific understanding of viruses upside down, and tested the boundary of what can be considered life. (Bichell, 4/6)
