Largest Biology Simulation

A world record has been set by performing the first multi-million atom biology simulation by Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). They used the 'Q Machine' supercomputer to create a molecular simulation of the ribosome, the cell's protein-making structure. This involved simulating 2.64 million atoms in motion, more than six times the amount achieved by previous biological simulations. The simulation was run on 768 of the Q machine's 8,192 available processors.

The team were the first to observe the entire ribosome in motion at atomic detail. The methods and implications lie at the interface between biochemistry, computer science, molecular biology, physics, structural biology and materials science. The simulation could offer a new method for understanding molecular machines and improving the efficacy of antibiotics.

For further details, visit LANL page and watch these Quicktime movies: low resolution or high resolution