Millennial musings on molecular motors (Reprinted from Trends in Biochemical Science, vol 12, Dec., 1999)

In a universe that is dominated by increasing entropy, Living organisms are a curious anomaly. The organization that distinguishes living organisms fr om their inanimate surroundings relies upon their ability to execute vector ial processes, such as directed movements and the assembly of macromolecule s and organelle systems. Many of these phenomena are executed by molecular motors that harness chemical potential energy to perform mechanical work an d unidirectional motion. This article explores how these remarkable protein machines might have evolved and what; roles they could play in biological and medical research in the coming decades.