Proteins made in our cells are folded into specific shapes so they can fulfill their functions. Scientists have discovered the static structures of over 100,000 proteins, but how they change in response to forces on the cell, like muscle contractions, is largely unknown. Matthias Wilmanns and colleagues at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Hamburg, Germany, developed methods to study the structure of a protein “strain absorber” as it changes during muscle contractions. They will present their work at the 63rd Biophysical Society Annual Meeting, to be held March 2—6, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland.