The discovery by Di Jia and M. Muthukumar of a novel topologically frustrated dynamical state of DNA and other charged macromolecules inside a hydrogel is published in Nature Communications, 9, 2248 (2018). The origin of this state lies in collective entropic barriers, with implications for understanding crowded cells and drug delivery.
"This new dynamical state truly is a surprising discovery," says Andrew Lovinger, the National Science Foundation program officer who supported the research. "It revises scientists' long-established understanding of polymer diffusion, and will help drive fundamental research in polymer science for both biological and synthetic systems."
