[1996]

> It is basically a simplified rehash of Gilbert Ling's Association Induction Hypothesis (AIH), which stipulates no membranes for cells and cellular entities

No it's not - it's a refinement of current theories that is perfectly compatible with the existence of membranes.

FYI, we are still working on the basics. Recently, we found free floating mitochondrias in the blood (outside cells!), and now we have the idea that cells exchange mitochondrias: http://www.sci-news.com/biology/cell-free-mitochondria-human...

[dragonwriter]

> [...] mitochondrias [...]

nitpick, but "mitochondria" is already the plural; the singular is "mitochondrion".

[LetThereBeLight]

Indeed. In fact there are several works directly showing the formation of protein phase separation occurring at the inner membrane surface to cluster receptors [1,2].

[1] https://science.sciencemag.org/content/363/6431/1093 [2] https://science.sciencemag.org/content/352/6285/595

[andrewflnr]

To be fair, (as someone who just heard about this today) it seems like the theory is not that cell membranes are pure fantasy, but that they don't play the role biologists usually think they do. It has more to do with sodium pumps at the membrane than existence of the membrane itself. Which is still pure crank territory, but, you know, not quite that crazy.

[Baeocystin]

>“When we consider the sheer number of extracellular mitochondria found in the blood, we have to ask why such a discovery had not been made before,” Dr. Thierry said.

Heck of an understatement! It amazes me both how much and how little we know about life at the same time.

[1996]

Mitochondria floating in the blood is the #1 candidate explanation for why blood transfer from young to old animals can rejuvenate them, and vice-versa.