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.
Rice University engineers have developed a new strategy for controlling how therapeutic peptides are released from gelatin-based materials, a step that could make the small but powerful molecules more useful in tissue engineering ...
Biotechnology
15 hours ago
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12
Snails are particularly active after a rain shower. Even on the Max Planck Campus in Potsdam-Golm, common brown-lipped snails (Cepaea nemoralis) leave behind shiny trails of mucus. Researchers from the "Biomaterials" department ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 7, 2026
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13
Most sensors are designed to do only one thing: detect what passes through them. But what if a sensor could do more? To create a new generation of technology, researchers have looked to living systems for inspiration. If ...
Nanomaterials
Aug 2, 2026
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81
Roughly 20 million people receive a cancer diagnosis each year, and an estimated 1 in 5 people will receive a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. Cancer cells arise from damage to the cell's instruction manual: DNA.
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 27, 2026
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7
Gene editing is a highly precise and powerful technology that allows scientists to insert, delete, modify or replace DNA bases in living organisms. It has a variety of uses, including correcting disease-causing mutations ...
Pancreatic cancer is considered one of the deadliest cancers because it is often diagnosed late and is difficult to treat. However, a South Korean research team has developed "smart nanoparticles" that remain hidden in normal ...
Bio & Medicine
Jul 15, 2026
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27
Fats and oils are essential to life. They provide energy, support the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, contribute to the structure of cell membranes, and give foods their flavor, texture and mouthfeel. Yet the way fats ...
Biotechnology
Jul 15, 2026
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4
Mathematics has always been at the core of securing information. From online banking to government communications, modern society relies on cryptography, in which complex mathematical algorithms transform readable information ...
By 2050, scientists estimate that antibiotic-resistant infections will be associated with more than 8 million deaths around the world every year.
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 3, 2026
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26
RNA interference is a natural mechanism for living cells to control whether specific genes are being used. Crowned with the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the discovery of RNA interference has since been harnessed ...
Biotechnology
Jun 29, 2026
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