Optical tweezers have become the method of choice in single-molecule manipulation
studies. In this Primer, we first review the physical principles of optical tweezers and the …

Microfabricated integrated circuits revolutionized computation by vastly reducing the space,
labor, and time required for calculations. Microfluidic systems hold similar promise for the …

Cohesin is a chromosome-bound, multisubunit adenosine triphosphatase complex. After
loading onto chromosomes, it generates loops to regulate chromosome functions. It has …

The atomic force microscope (AFM) is not only a tool to image the topography of solid
surfaces at high resolution. It can also be used to measure force-versus-distance curves …

Single molecules of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) were stretched with force-measuring
laser tweezers. Under a longitudinal stress of∼ 65 piconewtons (pN), dsDNA molecules in …

Single-molecule atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to investigate the mechanical
properties of titin, the giant sarcomeric protein of striated muscle. Individual titin molecules …

Soft matter exhibits a multitude of intrinsic physico-chemical attributes. Their mechanical
properties are crucial characteristics to define their performance. In this context, the rigidity of …

The mechanical properties of soft biological tissues are essential to their physiological
function and cannot easily be duplicated by synthetic materials. Unlike simple polymer gels …

The past decade has seen substantial growth in research into how changes in the
biomechanical and biophysical properties of cells and subcellular structures influence, and …

This is an overview of theoretical approaches to semiflexible polymers and their networks.
Such semiflexible polymers have large bending rigidities that can compete with the entropic …