The Physics of Mysterious Cellular Droplets with Trevor GrandPre

When we learn about cells, we usually picture them as little factories filled with familiar parts like the nucleus or mitochondria, each wrapped in a membrane. But scientists have recently discovered another kind of cellular structure: tiny liquid-like droplets made of proteins and other molecules that don’t have a membrane at all. These droplets, called biomolecular condensates, appear and disappear as needed, helping cells organize their activities, yet sometimes they go rogue in ways linked to diseases like ALS and Alzheimer’s. In this talk, I’ll share how physics helps us make sense of these strange structures. Just as oil separates from water, molecules inside cells can gather into droplets, but unlike oil and water, cellular droplets are dynamic, adaptable, and alive with activity. By combining ideas from physics with experiments and computer modeling, we are beginning to uncover the rules that govern these droplets, offering new insights into how life works at the molecular scale.