Thursday, January 16, 2014

The symphony of life, revealed - News Center

The symphony of life, revealed - News Center: Using a technique they developed based on terahertz near-field microscopy, scientists... have for the first time observed in detail the vibrations of lysozyme, an antibacterial protein found in many animals.

The team found that the vibrations, which were previously thought to dissipate quickly, actually persist in molecules like the “ringing of a bell...”

To observe the protein vibrations, Markelz’ team relied on an interesting characteristic of proteins: The fact that they vibrate at the same frequency as the light they absorb...

Markelz and her colleagues exposed a sample to light of different frequencies and polarizations, and measured the types of light the protein absorbed.

No comments:

Post a Comment