Biomolecules, as physical systems, are distinct molecular entities synthesized or utilized by living organisms that exhibit specific structural, thermodynamic, and dynamical properties enabling biological function. They include nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and diverse metabolites, each characterized by defined covalent connectivity, three-dimensional conformations, and interaction potentials with solvents, ions, and other biomolecules. Their behavior is governed by quantum-mechanical bonding, classical electrostatics, and statistical thermodynamics, leading to emergent phenomena such as self-assembly, allostery, enzyme catalysis, and molecular recognition. In physical systems research, biomolecules are studied through techniques like spectroscopy, crystallography, cryo-EM, and molecular simulations to elucidate structure–function relationships and energy landscapes.
A team of scientists has identified a new physical mechanism that could help explain one of the most persistent mysteries in science: why life consistently uses one "handed" version of its molecules and not the other. In ...
Bio & Medicine
14 hours ago
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54
Fluorescent probes have transformed modern biology by allowing researchers to tag and visualize individual molecules in living cells, tissues, and animals. Using these tools, researchers can watch viruses infect cells in ...
Cell & Microbiology
23 hours ago
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10
Invisible "dark matter"—what cosmologists call the mysterious glue that holds everything together—is estimated to make up more than a quarter of the universe. In chemistry, dark matter refers to the thousands of small molecules ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Apr 21, 2026
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13
Engineers interested in creating artificial cells to deliver drugs to unhealthy parts of the body face a key challenge: for a cell-like system to move, change shape, or divide, it needs a way to generate force on command.
Biotechnology
Apr 19, 2026
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25
Researchers at University College Dublin have discovered a previously unknown "courier system" that cells use to deliver coherent biological messages between each other, opening new possibilities for medicine and biotechnology. ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 16, 2026
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27
New research by an interdisciplinary team in Lithuania has revealed a promising and unconventional approach to cartilage regeneration. Using extracellular vesicles derived from menstrual blood stromal cells, the researchers ...
Bio & Medicine
Apr 10, 2026
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43
In December, The Conversation hosted a webinar on AI's revolutionary role in drug discovery and development. Science and technology editor Eric Smalley interviewed Jeffrey Skolnick, eminent scholar in computational systems ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Apr 7, 2026
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14
Researchers at Umeå University have contributed new insights into how cancer cells protect themselves from cell death. The study provides a deeper understanding of how key proteins interact within the cell and could, in the ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 7, 2026
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40
Ligand Pro, founded by Skoltech professors and a Skoltech Ph.D. student, has presented Matcha, an AI-powered molecular docking model that performs virtual drug screening 30 times faster than the large co-folding models of ...
Biotechnology
Apr 7, 2026
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6
How can cancer cells be targeted without damaging healthy tissue? This is one of the major challenges facing oncology today. Using synthetic DNA strands, a team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has created a "smart" ...
Bio & Medicine
Apr 1, 2026
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