Clockwork That Drives Powerful Virus Nanomotor Discovered
ScienceDaily (Dec. 31, 2008) — Peering at structures only atoms across, researchers have identified the clockwork that drives a powerful virus nanomotor.
Because of the motor's strength--to scale, twice that of an automobile--the new findings could inspire engineers designing sophisticated nanomachines. In addition, because a number of virus types may possess a similar motor, including the virus that causes herpes, the results may also assist pharmaceutical companies developing methods to sabotage virus machinery.
Researchers from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., and the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., collaborated on the study that appears in the Dec. 26, 2008, issue of the journal Cell.
Interesting finding to go along with the video of the Harvard MultiMedia presentation:
The Inner Life of a Cell
Happy New Year !! 