Red blood cells must be flexible to squeeze through tiny capillaries to deliver oxygen. Chemists have now discovered the secret of this flexibility: a 2-D triangular mesh, like a geodesic dome, underlies the membrane, each strut made of the protein spectrin, which is like a spring allowing the mesh and membrane to bend and flex. Super-resolution microscopy revealed fine detail of the mesh and structural components, which are half the size earlier reported.Original Article
The amazing flexibility of red blood cells
