Browse Physics

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

Genome replication originates at random places along the DNA strand, yet replication of the genetic material finishes within a defined time. A model based on phase-transition kinetics in condensed-matter systems explains how this just-in-time replication can happen.

Some of the most ingenious ideas for designing microfluidic systems come from observing plants and animals. A study that quantifies the protein-driven helical flow of liquid in large plant cells, for instance, may well inspire micron-scale liquid mixers and sensors.

Given that vaccine supplies are often limited, a quantitative understanding of how the number and frequency of vaccinations can affect the growth rate of disease would be useful. Physicists show that even a small number of randomly vaccinated individuals can exponentially increase the extinction rate of a disease.

Current technology permits tracking single molecules with exquisite precision, but the results need to be interpreted with care. Long-duration measurement of the motion of a single particle yields information that is different and complementary to that obtained from an ensemble average of many particles.

Molecular dynamics simulations show that thermal gradients – of order 1010 K over a meter - can polarize liquid water. The finding could have interesting implications for developing hyperthermal treatments that target cancer cells.

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.