Cartier Coco

Understanding the Sensations of the Skin

Long before we learn how to speak or read an alphabet, we grasp and feel our way around the world, and listen to our bodies to discern between pleasure and pain. Skin is the largest organ of the human body, and houses receptors that perceive what we touch externally, but understanding the mechanisms that control and communicate the sense of touch and feel 

 our bodies has long remained a bit of a mystery—though researchers have begun to crack the code over the past 10 years.

While cells have been understood to communicate with one another through chemical signaling, according to 

, scientists are hard at work to learn more about specialized pressure-sensitive proteins, called Piezo proteins, that act as mechanical signals that respond to physical sensors. Though very little is known about Piezo proteins, they are found in mammals—that includes us humans—and are believed to act as ion channels, opening up the pores of a cell’s membrane. Shaped like three-bladed pinwheels, Piezo proteins are uniquely structured and bear a passing, comical resemblance to fidget spinners. Researchers know little about how these specialized proteins function mechanically, but hypothesize that they are only part of a much larger, yet-to-be-discovered set of force sensors shared among many living things.

Nearly every tissue and cell type functions by way of touch, molecular neurobiologist Ardem Patapoutian explains, from the sensation of air filling our lungs, to our stomach or bladder feeling full. With more knowledge about the inner workings of Piezo proteins, scientists may be able to understand why some people are immune to certain diseases, or even find a targeted way to relieve chronic pain. As Patapoutian says, “We’ve just barely scraped the surface.”

A Liberating, Time-Traveling Journey Through Family, History, and Memory

Katy Bowman on Why “Movement Nutrition” Matters

Phaidon’s Emilia Terragni on the Media That Satiates Her Roving Curiosity

With “Open Questions,” Helen Molesworth Opens Up New Ways of Seeing Art

Stefan Sagmeister Finds Optimism in the Long View

How Stoicism Can Cultivate Joy

Spike Lee’s Prolific Career Gets the Spotlight, Naturally, in Brooklyn

Roxane Gay Balances Her Content Intake Between the Real and the Imagined

The Gossamer Glow of Jhumpa Lahiri’s “Roman Stories”

5 Exhibitions You Can’t Miss This Fall

Lindsey Bro on the Cathartic, Humanizing Effect of Bathing Rituals

At New York’s Climate Week, a “Climate Science Fair” Cultivates Optimism and Future-Forward Thinking

David W. Orr on the Inextricable Links Between Climate and Democracy

William Hanley on Media That Adds a Bit of Whimsy to the Everyday

A Dynamic, City-Defining Riverfront Park Grows in Memphis

The Vibrant, Kaleidoscopic Color Theory of Christopher John Rogers

Desiring Beauty, Even If It Kills Us

Eddie Stern on the Physiological and Spiritual Power of Pranayama

vanessa german on Art as a Way of Life and Love as a “Human Technology”

The Go-To Routines and Rituals of Daphne Javitch

Beverly Nguyen’s Highly Tactile Taste in Media

In “Look,” Christian Madsbjerg Celebrates the Slow, Patient Act of Observation

Sara Auster on Fine-Tuning Your Life Through Sound Therapy

A Herzog & de Meuron Exhibition Emphasizes Architecture as Collective, Not Egocentric

Priya Khanchandani on the Media That Inspires Her Curatorial Work

Vivian Rosenthal on the Profound Power of Holotropic Breathwork

Pedro Gadanho on How Architecture Must Adapt to Our Ecological Emergency

In “Ordinary Notes,” Christina Sharpe Weaves a Profound Portrait of Black Life

The Alchemy of David Adjaye’s Architecture

Millana Snow’s New Well-Being Plan

5 Exhibitions You Must See This Summer

Jaé Joseph on Broadening Notions of Luxury and Well-Being

The Poetic, Humanistic Architecture of Lina Ghotmeh

Chris Impey on the New Space Race and Exoplanet Habitation

Norman Teague on How He Keeps His Finger on the Pulse

With His Monumental Bronze Sculptures, Thomas J Price Honors the Everyday Features of Black Life

In “Not Too Late,” a Vital, Kaleidoscopic View on the Climate Crisis

From “WET” to “Wabi-Sabi”: Leonard Koren’s Adventurous Aesthetic Journey

Rachelle Robinett’s Science-Backed Approach to Herbalism

An Intellectual African Revolution Comes to the Venice Architecture Biennale