Scientists have created a molecular atlas of skin cells

The skin protects a person from physical damage, ultraviolet rays and germs, and at the same time

produces hair and promotes sweating. However, the details of how skin cells cope with these types of tasks are still not fully known.

To systematically study the skin, researchersmapped genes that are active in thousands of individual cells using a technique called RNA sequencing with a single cell. By examining the skin tissue and its hair follicles at different stages of hair growth, scientists have determined how cells coordinate during different phases of hair growth and relaxation.

"We found more than 50 different typescells in the skin, including new variations in cell types that have not previously been described. "We also looked at how most types of skin cells are affected by different phases of hair growth."

Maria Casper, lead author of the study

As part of the study, scientists described exactly wherethese cells are in the skin and what genes they express. The authors of the work believe that these data will be useful to other scientists studying, for example, skin diseases, the ability of wounds to heal, or skin cancer.

Previously, Columbia engineers were the firstdemonstratedrobotic finger with a high-precision sense of touch on a complex, curved surface.