Living organisms use powerful physical principles to control interactions at their surfaces. Researchers at the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, Leipzig University and TU Dresden have now discovered why cholesterol-containing surfaces can exhibit greatly reduced attachment of proteins and bacteria.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The Collembola Tetrodontophora bielanensis in its natural habitat. Credit: Stephan Floss, Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden/NATURE The interdisciplinary team led by Carsten Werner had previously identified cholesterol as a component of the skin of widespread invertebrates (collembolae), which breathe through their…