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.
Proteins are life's molecular workhorses, doing everything from turning sunlight into food to fighting viruses. They are built from 20 different types of amino acid molecules, so even a small protein made of 60 amino acids ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 24, 2025
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The natural protein universe is vast, and yet, going beyond and designing new proteins not observed in nature can yield new functions and can solve problems in medicine or materials science. The past few years have marked ...
Biotechnology
Jul 23, 2025
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An international team led by Einstein Professor Cecilia Clementi in the Department of Physics at Freie Universität Berlin has introduced CGSchNet, a machine-learned coarse-grained (CG) model that can accurately and efficiently ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 18, 2025
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14
Amino acids play a fundamental role in regulating how cells respond to drugs. These molecules, which form proteins, act like bricks that communicate with each other within a structure.
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 16, 2025
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An easy method for efficiently identifying proteins that interact with bioactive molecules has been developed by chemical biologists at RIKEN. This innovation, published in ChemBioChem, could help to speed up the development ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 15, 2025
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Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have revealed the structure of a key protein involved in unspooling DNA so that it can undergo repair. Because this protein is critical for DNA repair for ...
Biotechnology
Jul 14, 2025
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To build proteins, cells rely on a molecule called transfer RNA, or tRNA. tRNAs act like protein-building couriers, where they read the genetic instructions from messenger RNA, mRNA, and deliver the right amino acids to ribosomes, ...
Biotechnology
Jul 7, 2025
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1
Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, report in Small, on how short peptides self-assemble linearly on atomically-thick solid surfaces, such as graphite and MoS2.
Nanomaterials
Jun 26, 2025
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9
Remote-controlled microflow using light-controlled state transitions within DNA condensates has been reported by scientists from the Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan. By switching between ultraviolet light (UV) and visible ...
Bio & Medicine
Jun 23, 2025
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13
One of the great biological mysteries of the human body is how hundreds of complex, origami-like proteins, many of which are crucial for normal body function, come to assume their final, correct shape.
Molecular & Computational biology
Jun 18, 2025
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