Bioenergetics is the study of energy flow and transformation in biological systems, focusing on how cells acquire, convert, store, and utilize energy to drive metabolic processes. It encompasses the thermodynamics and kinetics of biochemical reactions, including ATP synthesis, redox reactions, and proton motive force generation across biological membranes. Central topics include oxidative phosphorylation, photosynthetic energy conversion, substrate-level phosphorylation, and the coupling of catabolic and anabolic pathways. Bioenergetics provides quantitative frameworks (e.g., Gibbs free energy, redox potentials, chemiosmotic theory) to analyze how cellular structures such as mitochondria, chloroplasts, and bacterial membranes support energy transduction and maintain nonequilibrium steady states required for life.
Researchers at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center have solved a long-standing mystery of how a model green microalga reorganizes its central metabolism to supercharge growth when given access to both light and a carbon ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 9, 2026
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14
A mitochondrial enzyme, Ak4, strengthens immune defense by promoting mitochondrial DNA synthesis and enhancing macrophage antibacterial activity. When bacteria invade the body, macrophages serve as frontline defenders, rapidly ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 7, 2026
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5
Almost all living things have an internal 24-hour clock that remains accurate regardless of temperature or other environmental changes. This clock is a highly sophisticated yet simple timekeeping mechanism that is critically ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 24, 2026
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14
Findings from a new University of Cincinnati study have reshaped the fundamental understanding of how a certain cell organelle prepares its environment for cellular digestion. The study, led by UC's Jiajie Diao, Ph.D. and ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 23, 2026
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27
Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have uncovered how the bacteria that causes tuberculosis fuels itself during infection, providing new insights into one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases. ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 17, 2026
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11
It has long been known that our bodies derive energy from sugar. Researchers at RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau have now discovered that sugar breakdown produces an intermediate product that is also crucial for the ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 16, 2026
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25
A metabolic enzyme studied for over seven decades has a hidden second function—it can unwind RNA and promote cell cycle progression, an additional function beyond its role in energy production, according to a new study led ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 16, 2026
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17
After a heart attack, the heart struggles to recoup and maintain energy. One-third of patients develop heart failure as a result—a condition that impacts 6.8 million Americans and carries a high lifetime risk, with 1 in 4 ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 9, 2026
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45
A new study from the University of Helsinki reveals how plant mitochondria draw molecular oxygen away from chloroplasts, an interaction not previously documented. The discovery sheds new light on how plants regulate oxygen ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 7, 2026
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208
A research team affiliated with UNIST has engineered a microbial strain capable of rapidly growing in high concentrations of methanol, marking a significant step forward in biorefinery technology. This breakthrough provides ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 6, 2026
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