Life through the eyes of a crystallographer: another "Scientific Environment" was held at Pirogov University

The speaker of the meeting was Artem Oganov, Professor of Skoltech, Head of the Materials Design Laboratory, member of the European Academy, Honorary Member of the Royal Chemical Society, American Physical Society, Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences, who presented the crystallographer's view on the problems of biology and medicine, demonstrating the relationship between living and inanimate matter.

He focused on the structure and properties of crystals. Observing these seemingly purely inanimate objects allows us to look at biological phenomena from a new angle.

Unlike the symmetry of living organisms, which depends on the external environment and evolution, the symmetry of crystals is determined by their internal structure. This imposes strict restrictions: for crystals, only axes of symmetry of the second, third, fourth and sixth orders are possible.

In 1982, Daniel Shechtman discovered a new form of solid matter — quasicrystals, which have an order but lack strict periodicity. An example is the presence of fivefold symmetry, which is forbidden in classical crystals.

Crystals play a key role in biological systems, being able to store and transfer energy. This ability is clearly manifested in the ATP molecule: according to Pauling's rule, it provides the body's energy metabolism, releasing energy when phosphate bonds are broken.

Thus, the laws of symmetry apply to both crystals and living beings, demonstrating the relationship between the nature of inanimate and living matter.

Photos from the event can be found in the album.

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