Molecule of the Week: Myosin

Myosin is a kind molecular motor. It exists as a dimer with two myosin monomers twisted around each other. It is an interesting molecule because it takes the energy from ATP hydrolysis in an Ca dependent manner and helps to slide the actin molecule. This amazing molecular mechanism is responsible for muscle contraction. The structure of the molecule in the image shows the ATP binding site and different domains of myosin molecule as well as myosin head which binds to the Actin filament. Watch a video about myosin below.

Binod Pandey 

University of Missouri-St. Luis

"Chemistry—It’s Elemental!" Celebrate National Chemistry Week

American Chemical Society (ACS) is one of the largest professional organizations in the world. Along with other works, ACS celebrates "National Chemistry Week (NCW)" every year in October. This year's NCW is being celebrated from 18–24 October with a slogan  of “Chemistry—It’s Elemental!". According to ACS, National Chemistry Week (NCW) is a community-based annual event that unites ACS local sections, businesses, schools, and individuals in communicating the importance of chemistry to our quality of life. Last year's theme was "The many faces of Chemistry". 

Celebrating such national week about chemistry will help to attract young generation involved in science and popularize chemistry in the society.

Elements are the important and essential building blocks of matter. In total, 117 elements have been observed as of 2008, of which 94 occur naturally on Earth. One has to start from elements to learn chemistry.

2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry announced

Indian born Scientist shares Nobel in Chemistry with 2 other Scientists.

Nobel prize in chemistry for this year of 2009 has been awarded to Venkatraman Ramakrishnan (MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology Cambridge, United Kingdom-born in India), Thomas A. Steitz (Yale University New Haven, CT, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute) and Ada E. Yonath (Weizmann Institute of Science Rehovot, Israel)"for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome". Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm announced in a press conference web-casted live. Three scientists will share the prize equally.

Nobel Prize in Chemistry to be announced tomorrow!!

Time has again come to announce the most prestigious awards in the world-the Nobel Prize. October is the month to announce most anticipated prizes. Two (Nobel for medicine and physics) prizes have been already given for this year of 2009. Nobel in physics has been awarded for groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication (to Charles K. Kao-1/2 of the money) and for the invention of an imaging semiconductor circuit – the CCD sensor (Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith-each will receive 1/4th of the money). Whereas Nobel for Medicine or physiology went for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase to Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak. It is interesting to note that the discoveries made both in physics and medicine were couple of decades back.