Abstract
Although scientific progress is usually represented as being linear, it may, in fact, have a cyclical character ? some discoveries may be forgotten or lost (at least temporarily), and themes may reappear through the centuries. Consider, for example, the concept of 'molecular machines', from the exciting phase of research that flourished in the seventeenth century, to the idea of machines that is at centre stage in modern cell biology.
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Acknowledgements
This article has benefited from discussions with A. Cattaneo of the International School for Advanced Studies (S.I.S.S.A.) of Trieste, and has been made possible by bibliographical help from L. LIannucci of the University of Pisa. I also thank L. Galli-Resta, A. Pignatelli and B. Pelucchi for critically reading the manuscript.
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Piccolino, M. Biological machines: from mills to molecules. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 1, 149–152 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/35040097
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/35040097
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