I was wondering myself about two unrelated topics concerning the plasma membrane. First, we are told in the text that proteins "float" within the phosolipid bilayer. Is it true that they really do so with no pattern of any sort? Is that just a simplification so that we can understand the concept? Do the placements of various structures in the membrane affect the cell in any way?
My next question is about the cholesterol that holds together the phosolipid bilayer. Does the body produce it's own cholesterol the way it does certain proteins? We are told, as Dr. Wile wrote, that eating cholesterol is bad. He states that it isn't, and that it is actually good, but is eating it really the way we gain it for cellular use? It seems there have been many studies on how cholesterol is bad for the arteries, etc, and that it would be better to control the intake of it, for that reason, than to abandon the idea that it is bad altogether.
Thanks for even considering these random questions, Mr. V!