Nanomachines Occupy Ninth Grade Science Students

Dr. Rama Ranganathan came to Parker to teach science students more about nanomachines within biological systems.

As Parker’s 18th Annual Robert A. Pritzker Visiting Scientist•Inventor•Engineer in Residence, Dr. Ranganathan joined Upper School science classes to dive deeper into the topics he originally introduced at November’s Morning Ex presentation.

Dr. Ranganathan views cells in our bodies as tiny machines responsible for all the functions of life. He believes the term “machine” is appropriate to apply to biological systems since they do their job through efficient cycles of motions that are finely tuned for their functions—just like man-made machines. But, unlike man-made machines, proteins are evolved materials that have been built over time through processes that humans do not yet understand, and they feature internal designs unlike anything humans could ever expect. Herein, according to Dr. Ranganathan, lies the potential for the future of medical therapies, sustainable energy, more resilient crops and beyond.

In his gatherings with students, Dr. Ranganathan focused on three concepts associated with natural machines: They are tiny in size, built by evolution and function by following currently unknown rules and processes. He then detailed the current science that made observing these machines possible—namely, high-speed video, which allows someone to see natural machines in real-time versus computer modeling—validating many hypotheses to date.

Dr. Ranganathan provided examples of how scientists are using AI and large language models to analyze matrices of interactions of all amino acids over time to help them identify and then synthesize novel proteins that perform and behave in ways similar to the naturally occurring analogs.

Dr. Ranganathan was clear in pointing out that the next frontier of science would focus on understanding the mechanisms by which these bio-machines do their work, leading to a golden age when scientists might create bio-machines to do a specific type of work, such as biological agents that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Through this visit, students better connected the materials they have been studying in the classroom with the real science taking place in labs around the city, country and world.

Parker thanks Dr. Ranganathan for coming to Parker to make this possible.

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