Physicists develop world's first artificial cell-like spheres from natural proteins

The team of researchers at Saarland University, led by Professor of Condensed Matter Physics Karin Jacobs, initially had something quite different in mind. Originally, the team set out to research and describe the characteristics of hydrophobins – a group of naturally occurring proteins. 'We noticed that the hydrophobins form colonies when they are placed in water. They immediately arrange themselves into tightly packed structures at the interface between water and glass or between water a