One central idea of biology, which I learned especially once I got into AP Biology, is cell communication. The idea that cells are able to not only able to regulate their own lives, but other cells around them, are fascinating to me. I mean, it's what allows multicellular organisms, from tomatoes to scorpions to our own species, to evolve. It also helps cells differentiate, causing the creation of complex organ systems, such as the digestive, circulatory, and immune systems. One such system that this article concerns is the skin layers that hold our insides inside and keep the outside outside. When this extremely important line of defense is breeched because of a puncture, the skin must heal and close the gap to not allow pathogens in to our fragile internal environment. In this article, a protein named after the famous medieval magician, merlin, was discussed in the healing of wounds. Apparently, the protein helps the "herd instinct" of cells to move to form the seal to heal the wound. The protein also stops cancer cells from spreading throughout the body.
This find helps us take a step closer to knowing how our bodies work. But, it also takes a step closer to understanding cancer and it's spread through out the body. For some reason, this protein helps stop the spread of cancer cells. By perfecting the knowledge of this protein, scientists might be able to isolate cancer in the body and stop cancer from metastasizing, which is often what causes death in cancer patients. This really shows how a simple discovery can cause major discoveries down the road in biology.
http://phys.org/news/2015-03-protein-merlin-cell-movement-effective.html
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