Biological complexity: light sensing proteins (Introduction)

by David Turell , Wednesday, January 26, 2022, 19:55 (1032 days ago) @ David Turell

Like those in the eye, finding out how they work:

https://phys.org/news/2022-01-illuminating-biological.html

"Light-sensitive proteins drive many crucial processes in biology, ranging from photosynthesis to vision. Much of the science community's understanding of these proteins comes from studies on bacteriorhodopsin, a protein responsible for photosynthesis in certain single-celled organisms. Researchers have previously solved the three-dimensional structure of bacteriorhodopsin and studied its activity in detail, but the limitations of available techniques left puzzling gaps in the resulting models.

"The new study, published Dec. 10 in Nature Communications, describes a technique developed by the investigators, called line-scanning high-speed atomic force microscopy, that captures the motions of bacteriorhodopsin in response to light on a millisecond time scale.

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"In response to light, bacteriorhodopsin switches between open and closed states. Using their faster imaging technique, the researchers discovered that the transition to the open state and the duration of the open state always happen at the same speed, but the molecule remains in the closed state for longer periods as the intensity of the light decreases. (my bold)

"Optogenetics researchers insert genes for light-sensing molecules in neurons or other cells, enabling them to change the cells' behavior with light pulses. That work has revolutionized neuroscience, and holds potential for treating neurological diseases as well. The more researchers know about light-sensing proteins, the further they'll be able to push optogenetics."

Comment: the molecule is designed to know when to be open and when to be shut based on the amount of light it senses.. Not intelligence but automaticity from a brilliant designer.