zlacker

>>qqqqqu+(OP)
I would like to understand how cellular biology processes actually work. Like, how do all the right modules and proteins line up in the right orientation every time? Every time I watch animations, it seems like the proteins and such just magically appear when needed and disappear when not needed [0]. Sometimes it's an ultra-complex looking protein and it just magically flys over to the DNA, attaches to the correct spot, does it's thing, detaches, and flies away. Yeah right! As if the protein is being flown by a pilot. How does it really work?

[0] https://youtu.be/5VefaI0LrgE

>>umvi+go
The issue with these animations is that they're getting rid of all the thermal noise. In reality, single proteins are flying around the whole length of the cell many times a second, just from their thermal motion. And when processes like DNA transcription happen, they're not like a regular conveyor belt -- a fraction of the time the machine will even accidentally run steps in reverse! However, if any of this were shown, the animations would become impossible to understand.

>>knzhou+Yp
just once i would like to see the realistic animation though even if it's impossible to understand

>>chango+Kt
It would be pretty boring, proteins bouncing around randomly and occasionally honking up, substrates flying around like rifle bullets sometimes hitting the target, and everything smooshing around in random directions. If you’ve seen Brownian motion, you’ve seen what is happening to all the molecules but at 1/100 the length scale. Nothing stays put. Everything is moving fast and far on the scale of proteins and small molecules.