Molecular Forces: The Surprising Stretching Behaviour of DNA

Johannes Kalliauer Johannes Kalliauer - What happens when you pull a DNA molecule? It behaves quite differently than we are used to from macroscopic objects. Scientists at TU Wien were now able to explain this. When large forces, for example in bridge construction, act on a heavy beam, the beam will be slightly deformed. Calculating the relationship between forces, internal stresses and deformations is one of the standard tasks in civil engineering. But what happens when you apply these considerations to tiny objects - for example, to a single DNA double helix? Experiments with DNA molecules show that their mechanical properties are completely different from what those of macroscopic objects - and this has important consequences for biology and medicine. Scientists at TU Wien (Vienna) has now succeeded in explaining these properties in detail by combining ideas from civil engineering and physics. Unexpected behaviour at the molecular level.