Molecular Machines

An interactive way to learn molecular biology. Real crystal structures, rendered live in your browser, with lessons that walk through how biology's tiniest machines actually work.

intro
Foundations
Getting started
A quick orientation — what you're looking at, and how to interact with the 3D viewer.
intermediate
Molecular machines
Molecular motors and pumps
The cell's mechanical machines — linear motors that walk, rotary engines that spin, and pumps that drive cargo across membranes.
intermediate
Molecular machines
Information and recycling machines
The machines that read and rewrite DNA and RNA — polymerases, helicases, the ribosome, CRISPR — plus the proteasome and chaperonins that recycle and fold proteins.
intermediate
Case studies
RuBisCO and its chaperones
The most abundant enzyme on Earth — and the elaborate folding machinery biology evolved just to assemble it.

Run a living organelle

Interactive simulations — drive the inputs, watch the chemistry respond, and click an enzyme to drop into its reaction.

Simulation
Organelles
Chloroplast
Photosynthesis, end to end

Or jump into the viewer

Open any PDB id, PubChem CID, or UniProt accession directly.

PDB · 1LYZ
Hen lysozyme — a classic enzyme
PubChem · 2519
Caffeine — small-molecule demo
PDB · 1ATP
cAMP-dependent kinase