Nanomachines

Abstract This chapter describes how nature has harnessed nanotechnology from the start of life on Earth to perform a variety of essential functions. It analyses the sophistication, intricacy, and elegance of nature’s nanomachinery, which far outstrips anything that scientists are capable of creating. It also discusses how the natural world is awash with molecular machines that achieve unidirectional motion with no need for an external guiding intelligence. The chapter mentions the STM-powered nanocar, a biomolecular motor from the kinesin family that leaves its synthetic counterpart in the dust in very many ways. It explains how kinesin converts chemical energy into mechanical movement, transporting its molecular cargo along tracks known as microtubules.