X-ray stroboscope offers new insights into biomolecular
dynamics
Researchers from Göttingen in collaboration with colleagues
from Augsburg have 'filmed' the movement
of lipid molecules using an X-ray stroboscope at DESY. In the scientific
journal Physical Review Letters, researchers lead by Professor Tim Salditt of
the University of Göttingen report that their study offers new insights into
the dynamics of biomolecules, which compose materials such as cell membranes.
The cell membranes consist of a double layer of lipid molecules; the properties
of the membranes are of great interest because they control which substances
enter and exit a biological cell and also determine which materials are
exchanged between different cell regions.