Examining the physical basis of the structure of macromolecules—proteins, nucleic acids, and their complexes—using calorimetric techniques Many scientists working in biology are unfamiliar with the basics of thermodynamics and its role in determining molecular structures. Yet measuring the heat of structural change a molecule undergoes under various conditions yields information on the energies involved and, thus, on the physical bases of the considered structures. Microcalorimetry of...