Loren Williams

Structures and functions of polypeptides, which has access to a seemingly infinite landscapes of functional space. All of these structures are built on self-complementarity of the backbone. What a molecule!

The amazing world of protein function, from Kavita's paper.

14.03.2025 04:12 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

RNA World, help.
1) Chicken & Egg: Multiple types of complex polymers (RNA and protein) cannot arise simultaneously.
2) Extant reflects ancient: extant functions of RNA are direct reflections of prebiotic behaviors.
3) Parsimony. The RNA world is simple. A simple model is a good model.
Is that it?

14.03.2025 03:58 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Biological Polymers: Evolution, Function, and Significance ConspectusA holistic description of biopolymers and their evolutionary origins will contribute to our understanding of biochemistry, biology, the origins of life, and signatures of life outside our pl...

My second ever Bluesky post:

Another part of the work of my wonderful graduate student Kavita Matange (post doc at CSHL) has come out here (open access).

pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....

08.03.2025 05:05 — 👍 2    🔁 3    💬 0    📌 0

I apologize that that paper is behind a paywall. You can access it free here:

williams.chemistry.gatech.edu/publications...

08.03.2025 05:03 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Evolution of complex chemical mixtures reveals combinatorial compression and population synchronicity - Nature Chemistry Origins-of-life research has focused on specific chemical reactions that might lead to biological molecules. Now an experimental model of chemical evolution based on oscillating water activity has bee...

My first ever Bluesky post:
Some of the work of my wonderful graduate student Kavita Matange (now a post doc at CSHL) has just come out.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

08.03.2025 04:58 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0