Molecular crystal motors move like microbes when exposed to light

At first glance, Rabih O. Al-Kaysi's molecular motors look like the microscopic worms you'd see in a drop of pond water. But these wriggling ribbons are not alive; they're devices made from crystallized molecules that perform ...

The first lab-created 'quantum abacus'

Do you want to know whether a very large integer is a prime number or not? Or if it is a "lucky number"? A new study by SISSA, carried out in collaboration with the University of Trieste and the University of Saint Andrews, ...

Researchers reveal structure and function of a molecular motor

Molecular motors are complex devices composed of many different parts that consume energy to perform various cellular activities. In short, molecular machines transform energy into useful work. Understanding the mechanistical ...

All wound up: A reversible molecular whirligig

Over the last few decades, researchers have built minuscule molecular machines that rotate or shuttle other molecules. However, it's difficult to determine the mechanical work and forces that these tiny contraptions produce, ...

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