Various approaches have been developed to exploit the functional properties of proteins and the structural properties of nanoscale materials. These range from biomolecule-nanomaterial hybrids and biocatalytically-generated self-assembled amphiphiles to protein-based structural templates. This commentary by Jonathan Dordick, discusses the article by Douglas Clark and colleagues, in which the authors report a study on the extremophilic protein γ-prefoldin (γPFD).