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.
The amino acid glycine is an important neurotransmitter that regulates memory, reflex, and brain development, and it may also be a biomarker for bacterial virulence. Of the 20 standard amino acids, the building blocks of ...
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 30, 2025
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Aquaglyceroporin Aqp10, a protein channel for water and glycerol, selectively permeates urea and boric acid due to its unique structural features—report researchers from Japan. By comparing and modeling molecular pore structures ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Sep 29, 2025
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High-density lipoproteins (HDL), also known as "good cholesterol," remove excess cholesterol from the body's tissues and transport it to the liver. This process is known to prevent atherosclerosis, the build-up of plaque ...
Bio & Medicine
Sep 29, 2025
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A new way to potentially control when drugs are active or inactive in the body is introduced in a study reported Sept. 24 in Nature. The research showed that, instead of controlling how tightly proteins bind to partner molecules, ...
Biotechnology
Sep 26, 2025
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Just as life pulsates in big vibrant cities, it also prospers in crowded environments inside cells. The interior of cells is densely packed with biomolecules like proteins and nucleic acids. How is all this material distributed ...
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 25, 2025
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When Ph.D. student Kshitiz Parihar began combing through dozens of research papers on two seemingly different topics—tumor mechanics and extracellular vesicles, tiny packages of proteins and genetic material secreted by ...
Bio & Medicine
Sep 18, 2025
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Proteins perform their many different functions via physical interactions with other molecules, in particular, small molecules present in cells, such as metabolites. These interactions occur on distinct binding pockets on ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Sep 17, 2025
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Inside cells there are tiny particles, known as extracellular vesicles, that store and move molecules. Our cells naturally package beneficial proteins and healing compounds into these tiny bubbles, dispatching them to where ...
Bio & Medicine
Sep 16, 2025
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Before a cell divides, its DNA is replicated so that each daughter cell inherits the same genetic information. The two copies, known as "sister chromatids," are held together by a ring-shaped protein complex called cohesin ...
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 16, 2025
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Biologists have long known that amino acids can help stabilize proteins, for example as additives to pharmaceutical formulations. In trying to understand why this works, EPFL and MIT researchers have discovered a fundamental ...
Biotechnology
Sep 12, 2025
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