Summary of the science
A eukaryotic cell is a type of cell that is found in plants, animals, and humans. There many theories that try to explain the reason for the cell's shape and how it was formed. The inside-out theory suggests that a long time ago, when life was just starting to evolve, there was a special kind of cell (ancient prokaryotic cell). Instead of having a nucleus inside the cell, this ancient cell had a nucleus-like structure on the outside. The nucleus is a very important part of a cell, often called the cell's "control center." It is like the brain, because it holds all the instructions that tell the cell how to function and what to do. This special structure connected with other small structures called proto-mitochondria. Proto-mitochondria are the early ancestors of mitochondria, which are small structures in cells that produce energy. Over time, this caused the cell to change and develop new parts - eventually it became the modern cells we have today.
About the research
Buzz's lab focuses on studying the generation of biological form. They investigate how the shape and organisation of cells are determined by physical forces, biochemical processes, and information handling. To tackle this problem, they utilise various methods such as molecular biology, genetics, RNA interference screening, live cell imaging, micro-fabrication, biophysics, and computational modelling. Their research aims to enhance our understanding of eukaryotic cell shape evolution, cell form regulation, and their roles in tissue development and cancer metastasis.
About the illustration
The illustration visualises the eukaryotic cell we know today. Their research focuses greatly on the inside out theory, so we used shading (light in the middle growing outwards) to suggest that the cell developed from the inside-out.