Miraglia, E. et al.
It appears that interest in the lysosome is skyrocketing as Gen Z students entering university are heavily relating to the so-called “trashcan” of the cell. While some professors proclaim the spike in interest is due to new methods that are making this easier than ever to investigate, young lysosome enthusiasts would like to set the record straight.
“We really just vibe with this particular organelle,” said undergraduate Amy Kim, “it’s heroic af, making space for pathogen degradation and recycling cellular material.”
Instagram user @LysoZ_rule_69, another self-identified “lysosomer,” has even curated a feed full of gorgeous fluorescent images of her favourite organelle. She first learned about the lysosome in her second year Cell Biology class, which initially did not pique her interest. “When people think of cell biology, particularly organelle biology, they usually think of the mitochondria, the powerhouse. It was so alienating, I’m the farthest thing from a powerhouse, I’m trash! I never thought I’d care about organelle biology because all we ever hear about is the damn mitochondria.”
However, things took a turn when @LysoZ_rule_69 learned about her beloved trash can organelle. She describes how learning about lysosome function, and its bleak pet name, meant she had finally found a topic that she wanted to research.
“My classmates and I are pretty self deprecating, ever since starting undergrad we have always said, “Wow I’m trash, I’m literally a trash can” every time we do poorly on a test or mess up an experiment. Then one day our prof lovingly referred to the lysosome as the “trash can of the cell”, and it sparked a new interest in me! Turns out the lysosome is kind of a baddie! It is really acidic, its super low pH allows it to break down bacteria, cellular debris, all kinds of stuff. She isn’t a basic bitch! She inspires me every day. We had to stan.”
With these fresh-minded lysosome stans contributing to cutting edge research, we expect to learn a lot more about these microscopic trash cans over the next few decades. Buckle up, boomer biologists.
