Understanding membranes.

The fluorescence intensity fluctuations of fluorescent lipid probes seen in giant plasma membrane blebs tell an important story about the physical state of the lipids from animal cell membranes. The fluctuations are associated with lateral liquid-liquid phase separation observed in these same membrane blebs at lower temperatures. Remarkably, the intensity fluctuations in the membrane blebs are found to be the same as those expected for the theoretical 2D Ising ferromagnet!