Nanobiology

Abstract

Abstract This chapter outlines some of the ideas of modern molecular biology, focusing on the role of fluctuations in the small systems that comprise the building blocks of life. One measurement aspect of nanobiology—single molecule measurements—was dealt with in Chapter 4. We begin with a brief description of natural selection as the central driving force in biology. We go on to describe some of the components of modern molecular biology, getting a glimpse into the role of random processes when we discuss the remarkable phenomenon of gene splicing. We examine the role of structural fluctuations in enzyme catalysis, and go on to discuss biological energy and molecular motors, phenomena that rely upon fluctuation-driven electron transfer reactions. Finally, we examine the role of fluctuations in gene expression in the development of whole organisms. We use the immune system as an example of a biological process in which random assembly of its components is essential. We end that discussion with a brief look at the role of random gene splicing in the development of neural networks, and ultimately, possibly, in the development of the mind itself. Readers unfamiliar with molecular biology might find the glossary in Appendix L useful.