Deformation dynamics articles within Nature

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• Article | 21 October 2020

  DNA mismatches reveal conformational penalties in protein–DNA recognition

  A high-throughput assay that introduces mismatched base pairs into the DNA sequence shows that mismatches can increase transcription factor binding affinity by prepaying some of the energetic cost of distorting the DNA.

  • Ariel Afek
  • , Honglue Shi
  •  & Raluca Gordân

• Article | 16 September 2020

  Red blood cell tension protects against severe malaria in the Dantu blood group

  The rare blood group Dantu is known to protect against severe malaria, and a mechanism is proposed here: Dantu red blood cells have a high membrane tension that prevents invasion by malaria parasites.

  • Silvia N. Kariuki
  • , Alejandro Marin-Menendez
  •  & Julian C. Rayner

• Letter | 08 April 2010

  Dislocation nucleation governed softening and maximum strength in nano-twinned metals

  The strength of conventional metals is determined by the interaction of dislocations with obstacles such as grain boundaries. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the strength of ultrafine-grained copper containing twin boundaries can be controlled by a dislocation nucleation mechanism activated below a critical twin thickness. Below this thickness the material becomes softer. The smaller the grains, the smaller the critical twin boundary spacing, and the higher the metal's maximum strength.

  • Xiaoyan Li
  • , Yujie Wei
  •  & Huajian Gao