Cells are pretty squishy and flexible except for the rigid nuclei carried inside them. So how do they squeeze through narrow passages that are smaller than a nucleus? No one gave much thought to this biological puzzle, but #CZBiohubSF investigator Hawa Thiam couldn’t stop thinking about it. That’s how she came to investigate the physics behind how cells and how their nuclei move and behave. Using research at the intersection of physics and biology, Hawa was able to learn that certain cells employ a complex mechanism to temporarily soften their nuclei before passing through small openings, allowing the whole cell to slip right through. #CellBiology #biology #science #physics