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How Cells Move
As cells move through the body, navigating through tissue and pushing against obstacles, they change shape. Understanding the dynamics of this process could someday lead to therapies that improve immune cells or fight cancer. To gain insight into cell motility, UC Berkeley bioengineering professor Daniel Fletcher and his students customized an atomic force microscope (AFM), a tool commonly used in nanoengineering. Their tricked-out instrument is helping reveal how the scaffolding that gives a cell its shape is affected by its environment.
Boning Up on Fracture Mechanics
As we age, our bones become brittle. According to the National Institutes of Health, one in two women and one in four men over 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in her or his remaining lifetime. Often, these fractures require surgery. Sometimes, they prove fatal. But what can be done to toughen bones? The first step, says UC Berkeley materials science professor Robert Ritchie, is knowing how they break.
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Wireless on the Road to Safety
In the last few years, the decreasing cost of wireless networking technology has untethered us from our Internet connections at home and at the office. Now UC Berkeley professor Raja Sengupta of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is developing a system to bring WiFi into our cars, but not for Web browsing .but to help drivers keep their wits about them.
Cool Alumni: Matt Fritzinger
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