4 ms·
Motor proteins are so incredibly cool. Like many others I was blown away by the 3D animated Inner Life of the Cell[1] showing these proteins physically walking
by dopylitty 5y ago
Motor proteins are so incredibly cool. Like many others I was blown away by the 3D animated Inner Life of the Cell[1] showing these proteins physically walking around in the cell. Previously I had this idea that cells were just blobs of jelly and somehow they interacted with each-other to produce macro phenomena like muscle movement.
And then you get into the other protein machines like the ATP synthase in the mitochondria [2] (also linked below) which are actually little motors/pumps. And we all have billions of these inside use spinning away. It's just amazing.
1. https://youtu.be/wJyUtbn0O5Y?t=80 https://youtu.be/wJyUtbn0O5Y?t=80
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXpzp4RDGJI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXpzp4RDGJI
- mncharity 5y ago> the 3D animated Inner Life of the Cell[1] showing these proteins physically walking Reality is even more interesting. The animation regrettably prioritizes "art" over accuracy and education/misconceptions. Between one "step" and the next, the kinesin "legs" are violently flailing around, and the payload has time to explore the entire configuration space reachable given the tether. Think not of a donkey towing a barge, but of a mouse, its tail tied to a balloon, clinging to a wire, in a hurricane! The nanoscale atomic mosh pit from hell. And IIRC, the "steps" are often backward - forward is merely net more frequent. "Art"... basically "video frames" have been highly selected to tell a bogus narrative, without even a brief hint of a reality check. It's like editing a video of some politician jogging to show unmoving legs and divine levitation. Nanoscale reality is much more fun.