Molecular life’s entrancing beauty

Existence at the molecular scale is very unlike anything we experience. Gravitational force is infinitesimal. Instead, electromechanical forces and viscosity hold sway. In life’s preferred temperature range, molecular movement is continuous and unrelenting.

The nearly mechanical fitting of proteins and their ilk, normally a feature endearing to engineers, is occurring under incomprehensible complexity. The constant jostling of organic compounds by energetic water molecules, randomly and rapidly exposing a new face on which to try new bindings might appear inefficient. But it works better and faster than anything we’ve been able to come up with.

Please visit Drew Berry’s website and watch his TED talk. I found the Chaplinesque, bipedal gait of microtubial walkers especially delightful.