Nope, this isn’t a small, prickly mammal with a flashy dye job, but a single intestinal epithelial cell. The colorful, hairlike structures are microvilli, which are designed to maximize the cell’s ...

This story is part of a series exploring human anatomy and physiology complexities. Each story in this collection showcases discoveries reshaping our understanding of the body's inner workings, ...

The human small intestine absorbs nutrients while protecting us from potentially harmful microbes. One of the cell types that plays a key role in this protection is the microfold cell (M cell). These ...