Everyone is made up of approximately 100 trillion cells – if they were laid end to end, they would circle the globe 60 times. Most of these cells arise from mitosis and differentiation of a single egg cell. To orientate themselves, they constantly explore their environment and communicate with their neighbours while they adhere to other cells or surfaces. Two working groups from the fields of chemistry and biophysics at Kiel University have discovered a new method for stimulating cells, thereby increasing their adhesion. The results now appear in the renowned journal Angewandte Chemie.