Alok Ajakkala

The cell keeps its secrets. The number of mysteries hidden within our cells doesn’t seem to be nearing zero anytime soon. A member of the cell family to tell us ‘hello’ now seems to be the “Hemifusome” (literally means half-fused), a structure inside the cell, a few months back reported to exist, escaping the watchful eyes of scientists since the discovery of the cell.

The cell is very much like a factory. There is manufacturing, packaging, sending materials around, trading with outsiders, waste disposal, a central authority to look after everything, etc. The central authority is the nucleus, which contains the DNA, the genetic material which has a say in “what happens where”. The manufacturing is done by the ribosomes, which read the orders sent by the DNA to create proteins. These proteins are the true workhorses of the cell. They have the polymath-like ability to do everything from cell reproduction to sending signals telling your brain you’re hungry. But a protein synthesised can’t do everything right from its birth. It has to be packaged in small bubble-like structures called vesicles, which will then carry these proteins to wherever they’re supposed to do their job…read more NOPR