Minor changes in moisture level can promote lipid molecules to reorganize themselves in biomaterial or biomembranes. This can affect how the skin, lungs and tear film protect us from dehydration. This new discovery from Lund University in Sweden could be the inspiration for smart materials and new drug delivery techniques.

Imagine a membrane that separates dry air from a moist interior. When moisture levels become lower, the lipid molecules organize themselves in an adaptive way—and now researchers in Lund have characterized this process.

“What surprised me was how powerful the sorting of the lipid molecules was even at small changes in the moisture level. I had not expected this based on what we know about the systems in conditions where there is no evaporation,” says Nikol Labecka, researcher in chemistry at Lund University.