Summary
Cells undergo surprising biological changes in microgravity. Under these conditions, cells alter their activities and the structure of their internal “skeleton,” known as the cytoskeleton. This is remarkable because the force of gravity on a single cell in microgravity is very small—roughly one million billionth the weight of a paperclip—and it is not clear how cells sense such tiny changes. This project tests the idea that the cytoskeleton and the proteins that anchor it to the outside environment act as “gravitational sensors.” To test this idea, the team will use an ultra-sensitive molecula
