When we think of a motor that can drive movement at velocities of several hundred times its own length per second, we probably picture a massive oily machine such as the four stroke internal combustion engine. But biomolecular motors- proteins such as kinesin that move and assemble biological structures- are a just few nanometers in size and can move at nearly a micrometer per second along a polymeric track. These motors are often described by biologists in terms of automobiles or even steam engines.
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