Database of Molecular Motions facts for kids
The Database of Macromolecular Motions is like a special online library for scientists. It's a computer database on the Internet that helps us understand how tiny parts of living things, like proteins and RNA molecules, move and change their shapes. This field of study is called bioinformatics, which uses computers to understand biology.
What is the Database of Macromolecular Motions?
This special database was first created by Mark B. Gerstein, Werner G. Krebs, and Nat Echols. They were part of a group at Yale University that studied how molecules work in living things.
You can use this database on the Internet to search for specific movements. You can look up a movement by the name of a protein or by its Protein Data Bank number. The Protein Data Bank is another important database where scientists store information about protein structures. Many people find the Database of Macromolecular Motions by clicking a link from a protein's page on the Protein Data Bank website. If a protein is in both databases, they often link back to each other.
How the "Morph Server" Helps
The database also has a cool tool called the "Morph server." It's like a free online service that lets anyone, even if they're not an expert, see how certain proteins move.
This tool can create short motion pictures that show the protein's movements. The computer software on the website makes these videos automatically. Once the video is ready, the website sends an email to the user with the information about the motion picture.
The "Morph Server" was first made as a research tool. Over time, the website has been improved to make it easier to use and to add new features. Other scientists have also created similar tools, like "MovieMaker" from the University of Alberta.
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