{"title":"How molecular motors extract order from chaos (a key issues review)","authors":"P. Hoffmann","doi":"10.1088/0034-4885/79/3/032601","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Molecular motors are the workhorses of living cells. Seemingly by ‘magic’, these molecules are able to complete purposeful tasks while being immersed in a sea of thermal chaos. Here, we review the current understanding of how these machines work, present simple models based on thermal ratchets, discuss implications for statistical physics, and provide an overview of ongoing research in this important and fascinating field of study.","PeriodicalId":21110,"journal":{"name":"Reports on Progress in Physics","volume":"240 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":19.0000,"publicationDate":"2016-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"48","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Reports on Progress in Physics","FirstCategoryId":"101","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1088/0034-4885/79/3/032601","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PHYSICS, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 48
Abstract
Molecular motors are the workhorses of living cells. Seemingly by ‘magic’, these molecules are able to complete purposeful tasks while being immersed in a sea of thermal chaos. Here, we review the current understanding of how these machines work, present simple models based on thermal ratchets, discuss implications for statistical physics, and provide an overview of ongoing research in this important and fascinating field of study.
期刊介绍:
Reports on Progress in Physics is a highly selective journal with a mission to publish ground-breaking new research and authoritative invited reviews of the highest quality and significance across all areas of physics and related areas. Articles must be essential reading for specialists, and likely to be of broader multidisciplinary interest with the expectation for long-term scientific impact and influence on the current state and/or future direction of a field.