How a starfish egg is like a quantum system

Waves that travel through an egg’s outer membrane echo those seen in physical systems at much smaller — and much larger — scales.

Email Bluesky Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Whatsapp X Protein attachment to the membrane of a starfish egg cell occurs in rippling waves (video is roughly 100 times faster than actual speed). Credit: Fakhri Lab/MIT Access through your institution Buy or subscribe Some cellular proteins undergo reactions in waves that ripple across a cell’s membrane, displaying patterns of turbulence that resemble those seen throughout the physical world. Access options Access through your institution Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription $32.99

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