Atomic structures at last: the ribosome in 2000

Last year, atomic structures of the 50S ribosomal subunit from Haloarcula m arismortui and of the 30S ribosomal subunit from Thermus thermophilus were published. A year before that, a 7.8 Angstrom resolution electron density m ap of the 70S ribosome from T. thermophilus appeared. This information is r evolutionizing our understanding of protein synthesis.