As COVID-19 ravaged Wuhan, China, in January, scientists remained unsure how the virus was spreading so rapidly. Biophysicist Adriaan Bax, chatting over dinner with his linguist wife Ingrid Pufahl, started to suspect that the saliva we project as we speak … Continue reading
Journal Club
Highlighting recent, timely papers selected by Academy member labs
Category Archives: Biophysics and Computational Biology
New protein structure reveals hotspot for cystic fibrosis drug binding
The newly revealed structure of a cystic fibrosis drug, captured in tandem with its target channel protein, could help scientists design better medications for the condition. Cystic fibrosis results from mutations in the gene for the cystic fibrosis transmembrane … Continue reading
C. elegans synchronized swimming
When a group of nematodes gets together in any kind of liquid, they put on quite a show. Each worm waves its body rhythmically to propel itself along. But the waving isn’t all random—in a dense group of Caenorhabditis elegans, … Continue reading
The mechanics of breastfeeding
“How do infants extract milk during breast-feeding? We have resolved a century-long scientific controversy,” say David Elad and his team from Tel Aviv University in Israel in the opening of their new PNAS article. Until now, researchers have debated what … Continue reading
Categories: Biophysics and Computational Biology
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New class of polyhedra discovered
Geometric forms have fascinated mathematicians since ancient times. Now researchers in California say they have discovered a new class of polyhedron that may already exist in nature and could help lead to novel buildings and other kinds of artificial structures. … Continue reading
Categories: Biophysics and Computational Biology | Mathematics
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Smaller nano-channel weighs with attogram precision
The mass of nanoparticles as small as 10 nanometers in diameter can be determined with attogram precision by measuring the oscillations of a cantilevered nanobeam supporting the particles, researchers report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Furthermore, … Continue reading
Categories: Biophysics and Computational Biology | Engineering
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The structure of Rubella virus’s outer shell
The protective covering—or nucleocapsid—that Rubella viruses use to sneak into the human body, evade the immune system, and carry out their biological attacks looks nothing like the wrapping of other viruses. Now, for the first time, scientists have determined the … Continue reading
Categories: Biophysics and Computational Biology
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The ants go falling, one by one
For an ant scurrying up a dark, nearly vertical tunnel, one tiny misstep can mean a long tumble down the steep passageway. At least, that’s what happens if the ant doesn’t perform some acrobatic feats to catch himself mid-fall. So … Continue reading