Sphingolipids are important biological molecules, a class of lipids that have a backbone of sphingoid bases including sphingosine (aliphatic amino alcohol) or another structurally similar compound. Image Credit: StudioMolekuul/Shutterstock.com In biological organisms, these enigmatic lipids (named after the Sphinx upon their discovery in the 1870s) play important structural and signaling roles. They have also been