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stacker · 4073 days ago · link · · parent · post: Functioning 'mechanical gears' seen in nature for the first time
Agreed. ATP synthase uses the proton motive force to balance proton concentration between the mitochondrial matrix and intermembrane space. The gear in the insects' legs are providing mechanical force to jump. ATP synthase = chemical property Insect leg gear = physical property
Well it still uses the proton motor force to power a physical rotation that preforms a conformational change that makes a chemical reaction more favorable, but it's more of a cam than a gear, it is like a gear with one tooth that just pushes on the domain it's at. It's also an example of a molecular axle, it's the same mechanism that makes flagella spin.