MIT: Chemical energy influences tiny vibrations of red blood cell membranes
Tuesday, December 22, 2009 - 16:28
in Biology & Nature
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Much like a tightly wound drum, red blood cells are in perpetual vibration. Those vibrations help the cells maintain their characteristic flattened oval or disc shape, which is critical to their ability to deform as they traverse blood vessels in the body to deliver oxygen to tissues.