Pasadena, CA (Scicasts) – Every great structure, from the Empire State Building to the Golden Gate Bridge, depends on specific mechanical properties to remain strong and reliable.
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Latest news on complex systems in life sciences, engineering, education and government
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Complex systems such as ecologies and economies have structural, architectural and behavioral characteristics in common. The stability of the financial system and the potential for systemic events to alter its function have long been critical issues for central bankers and researchers. this publichation by the US Academy of Sciences highlights how complex systems science helps us understand systemic risk. Delete the scoop?
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Scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have recently developed techniques for visualizing the behaviour of biological nanostructures in both space and time, allowing them to directly measure stiffness and map its variation throughout the network. Given that the behaviour of biological materials are partly determined by their structure (the arrangement of atoms in three dimensional space and how the structure changes over time) this type of visualization holds a huge amount of promise for revealing insights into biomaterials that were previously hidden. Knowing the mechanical properties of DNA structures is crucial to building sturdy biological networks and understanding subcellular structural formation. The researchers say that this type of visualization of biomechanics in space and time should be applicable to the study of other biological nanomaterials, including the abnormal protein assemblies that underlie diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Click on the image or title to read the full article.