Frigid break-ups

Life relies on an absurdly complicated network of chemical reactions. This network is called metabolism, and it is carried out by extremely complex biological catalysts, called enzymes. In many cases, several enzymes form a multienzyme complex, a huge biochemical factory. Understanding these biological machines would open the doors to the development of new antibiotics, chemotherapies, and biotechnological applications. How do we study them? By freezing them at -196°C and shooting them with 300 kV of pure electricity! This technique, called cryo-electron microscopy, allows us to observe the components of life at atomic resolution. By combining the power of lightning (electricity), the coldness of winter (liquid nitrogen), and many thinking rocks (a supercomputer), we are beginning to understand the fundamental mechanisms of life.

You might have heard: "You have your mother's eyes but your father's hair." Humans look like a blend of their biological parents, because each of us inherits one set of chromosomes from each parent, and every cell carries both. Except one special case: to keep the cycle going, egg and sperm cells carry only one set, so that fertilization can restore the full number. Thus, correct separation of maternal and paternal chromosomes is the fundamental challenge of sexual reproduction. It all begins with an elaborate process where homolog chromosomes find and hold each other until it is time to let go. This is a tale of love at the cellular level.