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Johann Deisenhofer
born 1943 · Germany, United States · Contemporary
Nobel Chemistry 1988
German-American biophysicist whose X-ray structure of the photosynthetic reaction centre opened structural studies of membrane proteins.
Nobel Prize work
Fields
Related topics
Crystal structures, X-ray diffraction
A crystal is periodic order on the atomic scale. X-rays scattered by that periodic array interfere constructively only in specific directions, turning a diffraction pattern into evidence about the unit cell and atomic arrangement.
Protein structure and function
A protein is a sequence that folds into a shape; its surface and flexibility help determine what it can bind or catalyse.
Artificial photosynthesis
How light absorbers, catalysts and membranes can convert sunlight into hydrogen or carbon-based fuels, and why efficiency, stability and scale-up remain challenging.