Browse Physics

Computer simulations explain how proteins can slide along strands of DNA looking for a target sequence without getting stuck.

A new laser-based technique can directly probe the coupling of electrons in photosynthetic proteins and other complex systems.

A synthetic nanomotor made of DNA can take a ‘step’ in one direction without moving backward and without any outside control.

A purely mathematical theory suggests why a wide variety of virus families construct their genome-storing shells out of a mosaic of trapezoids.

Researchers have simulated the formation of complex shapes formed spontaneously by sheets of polymers in solution. The results provide a recipe for experimentalists that are studying these structures for drug delivery and nanofabrication.

The clarity of the lens of the eye may hinge on the precise level of attraction between the proteins within it.

Calculations relate the properties of DNA and proteins to their suitability as “clocks” for measuring evolutionary time in a species.

A new technique can detect molecular-scale torques with ten times the sensitivity of previous techniques and might be used on biological nanomotors.

Grooves on the faces of bats act as resonating cavities, affecting the spatial patterns of their sonar and creating different patterns at different frequencies.

A mechanical analysis explains how some vines pull themselves up around a support without sticking to it.

A geometrical arrangement of tiny calcite crystals appears to protect some algae from ultraviolet light.

The spiral shape of the cochlea enhances its ability to detect low frequency sounds.

A film of bacterial protein can slow the speed of light to less than a tenth of a millimeter per second.

A “handle” of DNA can control the effectiveness of an enzyme molecule, which might lead to new ways of designing proteins or drugs.

Our genes contain long stretches of meaningless junk DNA. This genetic clutter slipped in between chunks of gene that melt at different temperatures, physicists report.

Working like a ratchet, a tube-shaped protein can nudge a small molecule “uphill,” chemically speaking.

Researchers have measured the energy required for two membranes to fuse–the process that occurs when a virus attacks a cell.

Some heart attacks might be stopped by applying only a small shock to the heart, computer simulations indicate.

A new imaging technique provides nanometer-scale resolution by using light to sense molecular vibrations.

Researchers measured and controlled the twisting force that a laser beam exerts on small particles.