Why does water make looking at proteins difficult?

Wednesday 8th Oct 2014, 12.40pm

Dr Sylvia MacLain talks about how water creates a problem when researching biology. Structures can be studied when they are in solid form, but approximately 60% of our bodies are made of water. Proteins, essential for life, are especially problematic as their entire function is related to their structure, which is different in solution. This means that no-one has yet been able to work out how they fold into ordered structures.