Your skin might not be as quiet as you think.
In fact, according to two American researchers, it may be "screaming" when under stress or attack.
In a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), scientists from the University of Massachusetts Amherst have discovered that epithelial cells — the surface cells that line your skin, organs, and body openings — can communicate using electrical impulses, challenging long-held assumptions in biology.
Until now, it was believed that only nerve and heart muscle cells had this ability.
Epithelial cells were seen primarily as passive defenders — barriers that absorb and secrete, but do not talk.
That perception may now be outdated.
“Epithelial cells do something that no one has ever thought to investigate before,” said Steve Granick, one of the two lead researchers, in a press statement from the university.
“When they are damaged, they ‘scream’ to their neighboring cells. They do it slowly, persistently, and over astonishingly long distances.”
This “scream,” unlike the rapid-fire nerve signals our brain and body rely on, is roughly 1,000 times slower, but still a clear form of communication. And instead of using neurotransmitters like neurons, these skin cells send waves of calcium ions across the tissue — a process that can last up to five hours and reach areas well beyond the initial site of damage.
“It was like witnessing a heated conversation in slow motion,” added Sun-Min Yu, Granick’s co-author.
How They Proved It
The discovery was made using a specially designed microchip coated with living human epithelial cells. The chip was embedded with 60 electrodes, allowing the researchers to monitor real-time electrical activity.
By targeting individual cells with a laser, the scientists created controlled "injuries" and then tracked how those cells responded.
What they saw was remarkable: electrical signals radiating outward, like ripples from a stone dropped in water.
The key messenger in these signals is calcium, but the team believes there may be other elements involved and plans to continue investigating the mechanics of this cellular “language.”
This groundbreaking research could change how we understand not just the skin, but a wide range of biological processes — from wound healing to disease detection.
If skin cells can communicate in this way, it opens possibilities for developing wearable health sensors, more responsive implants, and even treatments that encourage faster healing by helping cells better coordinate their responses to injury.
