Biophysicists measure mechanism that determines fate of living cells
Cells in the human body do not function in isolation. Living cells rely on communication with their environment — neighboring cells and the surrounding matrix — to activate a wide range of cellular functions, including reproduction of new cells, differentiation of stem cells into distinct cell types, cell adhesion, and migration of white blood cells to fight bodily infections. This cellular communication occurs on the molecular level and it is reciprocal: a cell receives cues from and also transmits function-activating cues to its neighbors…