Biopolymers are organic polymers that have been around longer than synthetic polymers. They include starch, proteins, peptides, DNA, and RNA. Biopolymers are being proposed as an environmentally friendly alternative to petroleum-based polymers. They have a well-defined structure and are constructed using a model-driven process. Modeling biopolymers requires large amounts of computing power, and their complex folding patterns are still being studied.
A biopolymer is any organic polymer. Biopolymers have been around for billions of years longer than synthetic polymers such as plastics. Well known biopolymers include starch, proteins and peptides, DNA and RNA. Together, these make up a large part of our bodies and most of the biosphere.
A polymer is any chain-like molecule composed of a repeating unit called a monomer. Monomers fuse into polymers in a process called polymerization. The DNA biopolymer is probably the most important: it is the medium through which body plans and their emergent behaviors are transmitted from parents to offspring.
The starch polymer consists of sugar monomers. When starch is consumed, it is broken down into sugar within the body. Starch provides a sustained-release form of nutrition in contrast to more rapidly metabolized sugars.
Protein and peptide biopolymers have amino acids as constituents. This is why amino acids are often referred to as “the building blocks of life”. DNA and RNA are made up of nucleic acids, which alternate in precise patterns to encode large amounts of data.
Biopolymers such as polyester and starch-based polymers are being proposed as an environmentally friendly alternative to petroleum-based polymers, which could take thousands of years to biodegrade. Biopolymers can be produced without toxic byproducts and biodegrade rapidly, leaving a minimal human footprint on the environment.
Unlike synthetic polymers, biopolymers tend to have a well-defined structure. Perhaps this is because evolution tends to select chemical reactions and structures that are largely predictable. Biopolymers have a uniformly distributed set of molecular weights and are constructed using a model-driven process.
Polymers are very complex molecules. Modeling them well requires large amounts of computing power. For this reason, we are only just beginning to understand the precise details of how biopolymers operate within the body. These polymers have complex folding patterns, including secondary and tertiary structures that emerge based on the properties of the primary structure. Under a sufficiently powerful microscope, a biopolymer looks like a coiled ball of string or a long chain of worms.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
