Intriguing power of weak bonds (Noncovalent interactions in biodisciplines). The role of weak noncovalent interactions in nature, especially in biodisciplines, is demonstrated. First, it is emphasized how strongly properties of the most common solvent and biomedium, water, are influence by noncovalent interactions. Also structure and properties of typical biomolecules, nucleic acids and proteins result from noncovalent interactions, and the important role of dispersion forces in these systems is stressed. The physical origin of the noncovalent interactions is explained. The very important manifestation of the noncovalent interactions in biology, hydrogen bond, is extended to the newly discovered type of hydrogen bond, called improper (blue-shifted) hydrogen bond. Finally, the role of noncovalent interactions in silico drug design is briefly discussed.
Personality of a scientist versus science subject. The Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, changed the organization from problem oriented to scientific personality oriented. Reasons for the changes, principles of new organization, as well as the duties and benefits of the teams are discussed. The experience showed that the changes had positive influence on the performance of the Institute, although there is always something to improve.