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Biology

The Folding Landscape of Proteins: From Anfinsen to Chaperonins

Quick fact

The number of possible conformations for a typical protein is astronomically large (more than atoms in the universe), yet most fold correctly in under a second—a paradox known as Levinthal's paradox.

Why this is interesting

Every protein in your body starts as a string of amino acids, yet each one folds into a precise shape that determines its job. How does a chain of hundreds of beads find its way to one correct 3D structure in milliseconds—without a map?