Abstract
Biological organisms are inherently complex. Although investigations of the function and design of living organisms have existed since the dawn of science, only in recent years have the tools existed to extend such studies to the nanoscale. Progress in nanomechanics of biological systems has enabled our understanding of intricate mechanical designs which nature has optimized for specific functions. This review provides an overview of the field of bionanomechanics, emphasizing the manner in which fundamental mechanical concepts are expressed in the design of a wide spectrum of biological specimens. We show that diverse species exploit common concepts to achieve desired function; a principle that extends over large scales of size and mechanical properties. The powerful techniques that enable such studies, particularly atomic force microscopy and instrumented nanoindentation, as well as common analytical approaches are given special attention.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1171-1184 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Israel Journal of Chemistry |
| Issue number | 12 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published Online - 5 Nov 2020 |
Funding
We would like to acknowledge the fruitful collaborations with our colleagues over the years, which have allowed us to delve into the fascinating topics of this review. In particular, SRC would like to acknowledge H.D. Wagner, S. Weiner, D. Ziskind, D. Cahen, M. Sheves, O. Reiner, E. Karzbrun, D. Fass, T. Ilani, I. Sagi, Y. Ma, PUPA Gilbert, S. Kalinin, S. Jesse, Neta Regev‐Rudzki, A. Bitler, and M. Suzuki. I.R‐G would like to acknowledge helpful discussions with N. Kampf and R. Sorkin. Right image in TOC graphics (“shell”) taken with permission from ref. [89]