Exciting molecules and proteins packed with potential

Chemistry is the science of studying the properties and reactions of matter. The vast majority of chemical reactions involve molecules interacting with other molecules. What happens, though, when a molecule interacts instead with light? Light, being a vector of energy, will excite the molecule and trigger many exotic (and often unexpected) chemical reactions! In this talk, I will explain why photochemical reactions challenge our understanding of chemistry and discuss the importance of such processes – focusing particularly on atmospheric chemistry and air pollution.

DNA defines the blueprints of all living things, but proteins do pretty much everything else. Proteins are long molecules that form intricate 3D shapes, which are responsible for protein functions. The shape of haemoglobin in red-blood cells allows it to pick up oxygen at the lungs, transport it through arteries, and release it in organs like the brain. After years of research, and helped recently by AI, scientists are starting to understand how protein shapes form. This is allowing them to design completely new proteins with potential applications in biotechnology and medicine.