mindlace

I was reading last week’s science (it’s finals, I’m a little behind). I particularly enjoyed the discussion about Nature’s Rotary Electromotors – (PDF version). While I sort of knew this abstractly, the article really brought home to me that ATP Synthase is a mechanical motor; its rotation smooshes ADP + P (actually PO₄^3-) together and makes them into ATP.

It’s interesting, to me, that we essentially engage in the combustion of sugar to drive a rotary engine. Amusingly, the ATP synthase movies I linked to above remind me of the Wankel Engine. It also suggests that we’re going to have a rough time ever getting past light -> hydrocarbon -> mechanical energy through combustion -> electricity/chemical potential as the chain of work for artifacts that have to move about and carry their own energy supply.