Conformation & topology as a research area investigates the three-dimensional arrangements and spatial organization of atoms, molecules, and macromolecular assemblies, and how these geometric and topological features govern physical, chemical, and biological behavior. It encompasses conformational analysis of flexible molecules, energy landscapes, and transition pathways, as well as topological descriptors such as knots, links, and entanglements in polymers, proteins, nucleic acids, and materials. The field integrates theoretical models, computational simulations, and experimental techniques (e.g., spectroscopy, scattering, single-molecule methods) to relate structural ensembles and topological invariants to function, dynamics, stability, and self-assembly across molecular and supramolecular systems.
A research group at The University of Tokyo has discovered a new principle by which helical chiral molecules acquire spin through molecular vibrations, enabling them to adhere to magnets. Until now, it was believed that chiral ...
Condensed Matter
Oct 29, 2025
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181
An international research team has determined the first high-resolution structures of the herpes simplex virus origin-binding protein (OBP), a critical component of viral DNA replication that has eluded structural characterization ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 23, 2025
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76
In a groundbreaking new study, researchers led by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth have shown that players of the online citizen science game Foldit can successfully refine and improve previously solved protein structures—enhancing ...
Biotechnology
Oct 15, 2025
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17
In synthetic and structural biology, advances in artificial intelligence have led to an explosion of designing new proteins with specific functions, from antibodies to blood clotting agents, by using computers to accurately ...
Biotechnology
Oct 6, 2025
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102
Why do glass and other amorphous materials deform more easily in some regions than in others? A research team from the University of Osaka, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Okayama ...
Condensed Matter
Sep 25, 2025
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103
Most well-studied proteins are folded, meaning they have a defined three-dimensional shape that helps determine each protein's specific function. But as the tools of science have improved, so has the understanding that many ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Sep 4, 2025
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26
A tissue fold known as the cephalic furrow, an evolutionary novelty that forms between the head and the trunk of fly embryos, plays a mechanical role in stabilizing embryonic tissues during the development of the fruit fly ...
Evolution
Sep 3, 2025
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25
New research from the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery is tackling a complex packing problem. Thanks to the development of a powerful new computational tool introduced in a study published in the journal Genome Research, ...
Biotechnology
Aug 28, 2025
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23
At school, it's often presented as a tidy double helix but scientists are revealing the varied and intricate shapes of DNA molecules.
Molecular & Computational biology
Aug 22, 2025
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51
Our remarkable ability to perform complex tasks—such as thinking, observing, and touch—stems from proteins, the tiny nanometer-sized molecules in the body. Despite decades of research, our understanding of the structure and ...
Bio & Medicine
Aug 21, 2025
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