Band pattern formation of erythrocytes in density gradients is due to competing aggregation and net buoyancy

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 122, Issue 51, December 2025. <br/>SignificanceDensity-based centrifugation is widely used to separate biological components, including red blood cells (RBCs) of different ages. However, puzzling banding patterns often appear in continuous gradients, and their origin has remained unclear. …