The mesoscopic world - from plastic bags to brain disease - structural similarities in physics

Bakerian Prize Lecture

Mesoscopic physics deals with intermediate lengthscales: that is to say, distances larger than atomic dimensions, but significantly less than the macroscopic, everyday world. So one is dealing with assemblies of molecules, and the structures such assemblies adopt. In this talk Athene Donald will explore structural similarities between different assemblies of polymer molecules of both synthetic and biological origin. Structures looking broadly the same in the optical microscope are found in starch granules within plants, in polythene bags and in sections of diseased brain tissue. What is it about the packing that leads to these similarities? And what conclusions can we draw?

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