Latest Biophysics Stories

In two new studies, researchers provide the first detailed view of the elaborate chemical and mechanical interactions that allow the ribosome "“ the cell's protein-building machinery "“ to insert a growing protein into the cellular membrane.The first study, in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, gives an atom-by-atom snapshot of a pivotal stage in the insertion process: the moment just after the ribosome docks to a channel in the membrane and the newly forming protein winds its way...

Attempt to measure biomagnetism in plants sets upper limit for what they generateSearching for magnetic fields produced by plants may sound as wacky as trying to prove the existence of telekinesis or extrasensory perception, but physicists at the University of California, Berkeley, are seriously looking for biomagnetism in plants using some of the most sensitive magnetic detectors available.In an article that appeared this week in the Journal of Applied Physics, the UC Berkeley scientists...

Dr Ivar Giaever, Nobel Laureate and CTO of Applied BioPhysics, will conduct a talk at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Biology of Cancer Meeting on Wednesday, April 27, 2011. His talk with focus on, ECIS, the use of label free impedance sensing for cell research. Troy, NY (PRWEB) April 01, 2011 Dr Ivar Giaever, Nobel Laureate and CTO of Applied BioPhysics, will conduct a talk at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Biology of Cancer Meeting on Wednesday, April 27, 2011. His talk with...

Liz Ahlberg, University of IllinoisIllinois researchers have combined two molecular imaging technologies to create an instrument with incredible sensitivity that provides new, detailed insight into dynamic molecular processes.Physics professors Taekjip Ha and Yann Chemla and combined their expertise in single-molecule biophysics "“ fluorescence microscopy and optical traps, respectively "“ to study binding and unbinding of individual DNA segments to a larger strand. They and their joint...

ISSAQUAH, Wash., March 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Applied Precision will be showcasing their newly expanded DeltaVision microscopy product family at the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting in Baltimore, March 5-9. The featured products will include new systems and several configuration options for the ground-breaking DeltaVision OMX® 3-D, super-resolution microscopy system. The OMX V4(TM) SI system is the 4th generation of super-resolution microscope utilizing proven 3-D structured...

A research team led by Edward Yu of Iowa State University and the Ames Laboratory has identified and described two parts of the three-part system that pumps toxins from bacteria and allows them to resist antibiotics.The discoveries are published in the Feb. 24 issue of the journal Nature.The paper describes the co-crystal structure of two parts of the three-part efflux pump that recognizes and removes heavy metal toxins from bacteria. A research team led by Yu "“ an Iowa State associate...

A theoretical technique developed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is bringing supercomputer simulations and experimental results closer together by identifying common "fingerprints."ORNL's Jeremy Smith collaborated on devising a method -- dynamical fingerprints --that reconciles the different signals between experiments and computer simulations to strengthen analyses of molecules in motion. The research will be published in the Proceedings of the National...

There is considerable interest in understanding transport and information pathways in living cells. It is crucial for both the transport of, for example, medicine into cells, the regulation of cell life processes and their signalling with their environment. New research in biophysics at the Niels Bohr Institute shows surprisingly that the transport mechanisms do not follow the expected pattern. The results have been published in the scientific journal Physical Review Letters.The researchers...

Despite the sophistication and range of contemporary microscopy techniques, many important biological phenomena still elude the precision of even the most sensitive tools. The need for refined imaging methods for fundamental research and biomedical applications related to the study of disease remains acute.Nongjian (N.J.) Tao and his colleagues at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University have pioneered a new technique capable of peering into single cells and even intracellular...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Biophysical Society's 55th Annual Meeting takes place from March 5-9, 2011 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, MD. There, more than 6,500 scientists will gather to discuss the latest advances in understanding and breakthroughs in technology at every level of biophysics -- from atoms and molecules to cells, organisms, and environments. The Biophysical Society is the largest association in the world devoted to this...