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Cells snack on nanowires

Phagocytosis draws in silicon strands, opening possible route to bioelectronics

phagocytosis

REACH OUT AND TOUCH  A membrane tendril stretches from a human cell to wrap around a silicon nanowire — the start of phagocytosis, this scanning electron microscopy image suggests.

J. Zimmerman et al/Science Advances 2016

By Meghan Rosen

- More than 2 years ago

Human cells can snack on silicon.

Cells grown in the lab devour nano-sized wires of silicon through an engulfing process known as phagocytosis, scientists report December 16 in Science Advances.