Tag: Biophysics
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Tau Fibril Formation Boosted by Polymer Physics Insights
Introducing a fresh lens on Alzheimer’s pathology In a groundbreaking cross-disciplinary venture, researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have adapted concepts from polymer physics to shed new light on the tau protein fibril formation that characterizes a key pathology in Alzheimer’s disease. By borrowing ideas about how polymers behave at the mesoscopic scale, the team aims…
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Polymer Physics Illuminates Tau Fibril Formation in Alzheimer’s Disease
Unlocking a Key Alzheimer’s Pathology with Polymer Physics Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University are applying concepts from polymer physics to unravel a central mystery of Alzheimer’s disease: how tau proteins assemble into the fibrillar structures that destabilize neurons. By treating tau aggregates as dynamic, filament-forming polymers, the team aims to map the steps that precede…
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Polymer Physics Sheds Light on Tau Fibril Formation in Alzheimer’s
New Cross-Disciplinary Insight into Alzheimer’s Pathology Researchers at Tokyo Metropolitan University have bridged fields by applying concepts from polymer physics to the study of tau protein fibrillogenesis, a central feature of Alzheimer’s disease pathology. By treating tau proteins as dynamic polymers that can assemble, rearrange, and crystallize under cellular conditions, the team is uncovering the…
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Bacteria Move Without Flagella: Sugar-Fueled Currents and Molecular Gearboxes
Unveiling a New Kind of Bacterial Motion Bacteria are renowned for their tiny flagella — whip-like propellers that broadcast their desire to roam. Yet a growing body of research from Arizona State University is changing that narrative. Scientists are documenting how bacteria can move without traditional flagella, employing less obvious tools such as sugar-fueled currents…
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Flagella-Free Bacteria Movement: Sugar Currents and Gearboxes
What’s new in bacterial movement For decades, scientists have described bacterial motion as a simple story of tiny propellers—the flagella—that propel single cells through liquids. But fresh research from Arizona State University is reshaping that narrative. The studies uncover how some bacteria can move without their flagella, harnessing sugar-fueled currents and intricate molecular gear systems…
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RNA Folding at Atomic Detail: How Molecular Dynamics Simulations Use Force Fields to Capture Structure
Overview: Why RNA Folding Matters in Molecular Dynamics Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is more than a genetic messenger. Its diverse roles in gene regulation, catalysis, and cellular maintenance depend on its ability to fold into intricate three-dimensional structures. Understanding these structures and the pathways by which RNA folds is crucial for uncovering mechanisms of biology and…
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RNA Folding under the Microscope: How Molecular Dynamics Shapes Understanding
Introduction: Why RNA Folding Matters Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is more than a messenger of genetic information. It plays diverse roles in gene regulation, processing, and maintenance across life’s domains. Understanding how RNA folds into its functional three-dimensional shapes is central to biology and medicine. In recent years, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have emerged as a…
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Advancing RNA Folding Insights with Atomistic Molecular Dynamics Simulations
Introduction: The Power of Atomistic MD in RNA research Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is one of life’s most versatile molecules, orchestrating gene regulation, processing, and maintenance across diverse biological systems. To fully understand RNA function, researchers increasingly rely on molecular dynamics (MD) simulations that use atomistic force fields to capture the subtleties of folding, dynamics, and…
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Ribosome Formation: Near-Continuous Molecular Movie Reveals Assembly
New window into a cellular factory Ribosomes are legendary for turning genetic instructions into life-sustaining proteins. For decades, scientists have watched these tiny workhorses in action, but understanding how the ribosome itself is assembled has remained a frontier. In a groundbreaking study, researchers have captured a near-continuous molecular movie of ribosome formation, offering an unprecedented…
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Tiny genome loops persist in dividing cells, reshaping mitosis understanding
Overview: A surprise in the mitotic genome For decades, scientists believed that as cells prepare to divide, their chromosomes condense into a tightly packed, featureless slate. Once division finished, the genome would gradually reestablish its complex 3D structure to regulate which genes are active in each daughter cell. A groundbreaking study from MIT challenges this…