Vital IronIron is critical to nearly all known life — cells would be unable to turn fuel into energy, transport oxygen, or synthesize DNA without it. It's no surprise then that nature provides insurance against shortages: The fantastically beautiful protein ferritin concentrates, stores, and detoxifies iron.
Elegant MachineryThis ancient nanomachine varies only slightly from bacteria to humans. Its spherical form acts as a storage space where cells can stow away several thousand iron atoms, providing a life-saving supply should environmental iron run low. Square pores at the cube's faces are believed to be the entry point for electrons that free up the iron atoms, and triangular pores at the cube's corners are where freed iron exits. Data for this sculpture comes from the Protein Data Bank, where the bullfrog ferritin protein is 1MFR. Dr. Elizabeth Theil, a senior scientist at CHORI, elucidated its structure. |
