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Cell biology: Ahead of the curve

Nature volume 460, pages 318–320 (2009)Cite this article

Cellular life is all slopes, arcs and circles — but there is much debate about how these curves are built. Kendall Powell reports.

To view the innards of a cell is to view architecture reminiscent of Antoni Gaudi: the gentle arc of the cell membrane, the contortions of internal tubing, the tight bubbles of vesicles. But for biologists, this architecture is an intellectual puzzle as well as a beautiful structure. Membranes generally prefer to be flat — so what, exactly, is generating all the curves?

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Authors
  1. Kendall Powell
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Kendall Powell is a freelance science writer based in Broomfield, Colorado.

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Powell, K. Cell biology: Ahead of the curve. Nature 460, 318–320 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/460318a

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