Lucy HicksCells have places to be, and they have all evolved different ways to get there: Red blood cells change their shape, and bacteria use whiplike appendages to propel themselves forward.
Now, new research suggests white blood cells have their own special way of swimming, which biologists have dubbed “molecular paddling.”For years, scientists thought white bloods cells could move across 2D surfaces, like blood vessels or skin layers, only by attaching to and crawling along them.
They also knew certain human and mouse white blood cells could swim in liquids, but they weren’t sure how.To find out, researchers recorded how human white blood cells, or leukocytes, moved in liquids and on solid surfaces.
Read more on sciencemag.org