MD Nanotechnology

[pclark]

Squad,   Go to "foresight.org" and look at some of the work in nanotechnology that is being done lately. Look at the enzyme motors that apparently work exactly like electrical motors to manipulate and fabricate other atoms and molecules. Do you suppose that the body was built by evolution and that the brain was superimposed on the body by God?   The recent discussions are getting pretty boring to me.   ATP synthase resembles a lumpy orange spinning on a long axle. The "orange" has six segments - three alpha subunits, and three beta subunits. The beta subunits are the ones responsible for making ATP. The "axle" is actually a tube, the other end of which is embedded in the mitochondrial membrane; it contains the still-mysterious mechanisms responsible for enabling the enzyme to spin. As the "orange" turns on the axle, the subunits are pushed and pulled in a cyclical pattern by the axle's irregularities; the resulting deformation of the subunits manifests itself as the mechanical movements required for making ATP. [Science 265: 1176-1177, 26Aug94] One of the intriguing facts about this sophisticated enzyme is that it is found in every kind of cell, from bacteria to plants and animals. That presumably means that it is a very ancient biological device that evolved with the early bacteria or even before. It seems surprising that the creatures of that era already had the use of such an elegant machine.   Ken Clark