The message-sending part of neurons may be blobby, not smooth
A new way of seeing axons reveals they can be shaped like strings of pearls
The mouse axon shown in the center of this electron microscope image has bumps connected by thin tubes, similar to beads on a string. This message-sending part of nerve cells is usually thought to be smooth and cylindrical.
Quan Gan, Mitsuo Suga and Shigeki Watanabe