Mario Ageno and the status of biophysics.

This essay focuses on Mario Ageno (1915-1992), initially director of the physics laboratory of the Italian National Institute of Health and later professor of biophysics at Sapienza University of Rome. A physicist by training, Ageno became interested in explaining the special characteristics of living organisms origin of life by means of quantum mechanics after reading a book by Schrödinger, who argued that quantum mechanics was consistent with life but that new physical principles must be found. Ageno turned Schrödinger's view into a long-term research project. He aimed to translate Schrödinger's ideas into an experimental programme by building a physical model for at least a very simple living organism. The model should explain the transition from the non-living to the living. His research, however, did not lead to the expected results, and in the 1980s and the 1990s he focused on its epistemological aspect, thinking over the tension between the lawlike structure of physics and the historical nature of biology. His reflections led him to focus on the nature of the theory of evolution and its broader scientific meaning.

The emergence of theoretical biology: Two fundamental works of Ervin Bauer (1890-1938) in English translation.

Ervin Bauer (1890-1938) outlined the paradigm of theoretical biology from the perspective of biophysics and bioenergetics. His molecular-based biological theory is centered on the principle of sustainable non-equilibrium, which is continuously produced and maintained by all biological systems throughout their life. Ervin Bauer became the victim of Stalin's Great Terror. Here we present two of the fundamental works of Ervin Bauer in English translation: the paper "The definition of living beings on the basis of their thermodynamic properties, and the fundamental biological principles that follow from it" published in Naturwissenschaften (1920) and the excerpts from his magnum opus "Theoretical Biology" (1935). These works became a bibliographical rarity. A complete English translation of "Theoretical Biology" is an important task for the future.

Remembering Jan Amesz (1934-2001): a great gentleman, a major discoverer, and an internationally renowned biophysicist of both oxygenic and anoxygenic photosynthesisa.

We present here the research contributions of Jan Amesz (1934-2001) on deciphering the details of the early physico-chemical steps in oxygenic photosynthesis in plants, algae and cyanobacteria, as well as in anoxygenic photosynthesis in purple, green, and heliobacteria. His research included light absorption and the mechanism of excitation energy transfer, primary photochemistry, and electron transfer steps until the reduction of pyridine nucleotides. Among his many discoveries, we emphasize his 1961 proof, with L. N. M. Duysens, of the "series scheme" of oxygenic photosynthesis, through antagonistic effects of Light I and II on the redox state of cytochrome f. Further, we highlight the following research on oxygenic photosynthesis: the experimental direct proof that plastoquinone and plastocyanin function at their respective places in the Z-scheme. In addition, Amesz's major contributions were in unraveling the mechanism of excitation energy transfer and electron transport steps in anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria (purple, green and heliobacteria). Before we present his research, focusing on his key discoveries, we provide a glimpse of his personal life. We end this Tribute with reminiscences from three of his former doctoral students (Sigi Neerken; Hjalmar Pernentier, and Frank Kleinherenbrink) and from several scientists (Suleyman Allakhverdiev; Robert Blankenship; Richard Cogdell) including two of the authors (G. Garab and A. Stirbet) of this Tribute.

Editor Profile: Andrey Abramov.

In this special interview series, we profile members of The FEBS Journal editorial board to highlight their research focus, perspectives on the journal and future directions in their field. Professor Andrey Abramov is a cell biologist and biophysicist at University College London's Queen Square Institute of Neurology. He has served as an Editorial Board Member of The FEBS Journal since 2015.

Editor Profile: Angela Gronenborn.

In this special interview series, we profile members of The FEBS Journal editorial board to highlight their research focus, perspectives on the journal and future directions in their field and beyond. Angela M. Gronenborn is the UPMC Rosalind Franklin Professor and Chair of the Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine and Professor of Bioengineering, Swanson School of Engineering, Pittsburgh, USA. She has served as an editorial board member of The FEBS Journal since 2009.

Wah Soon Chow, a teacher, a friend and a colleague.

To finish this special issue, some friends, colleagues and students of Prof. Chow (Emeritus Professor, the Research School of Biology, the Australian National University) have written small tributes to acknowledge not only his eminent career but to describe his wonderful personality.

Developments in tandem ion mobility mass spectrometry.

Ion Mobility (IM) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) is a useful tool for separating species of interest out of small quantities of heterogenous mixtures via a combination of m/z and molecular shape. While tandem MS instruments are common, instruments which employ tandem IM are less so with the first commercial IM-MS instrument capable of multiple IM selection rounds being released in 2019. Here we explore the history of tandem IM instruments, recent developments, the applications to biological systems and expected future directions.

Howard Berg's Random Walk through Biology.

This minireview presents the career of biophysicist Howard Berg from his first interest in bacterial chemotaxis and motility through the present. After a summary of some of his early work, a series of reminiscences of students, postdocs, colleagues, and family members is presented. In sum, these recollections capture the effect that Howard's scientific life has had on the field of bacterial chemotaxis and motility and on the careers and lives of those who have interacted with him.

Christiaan Sybesma (August 31, 1928-January 31, 2018), an extraordinary biophysicist of our time.

We provide here a brief Tribute to Christiaan Sybesma (1928-2018), a highly respected biophysicist of our time. We remember him by giving a brief highlight of his life and a glimpse of his outstanding contributions in photosynthesis. He was a charming and highly respected scientist of our time.

Eugene I. Rabinowitch: A prophet of photosynthesis and of peace in the world.

More than 45 years have passed since Eugene I. Rabinowitch died, on May 15, 1973, at the age of 75, but many still remember him as a photosynthesis giant, the author of a 2000-page "Bible" on photosynthesis, a great chemist and physicist, a discoverer of several basic photoreactions, one of the founders of modern biophysics, a peacemaker, a poet, an architect, an artist, a wonderful human being, and above all a great mentor. Sir John Rotblatt cited Eugene Rabinowitch, together with Bertrand Russell, for their key contributions that led to the Nobel Peace Prize awarded in 1995 jointly to Rotblatt and the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs "for their efforts to diminish the part played by nuclear arms in international politics and, in the longer run, to eliminate such arms." Already in 1965, Eugene Rabinowitch had received the prestigious Kalinga Prize from UNESCO "in recognition of his work to encourage international cooperation among scientists and to bring to light the potential dangers of science to the public."

Tribute in memory of Jacques Breton (1942-2018).

Jacques Breton spent his 39 years of professional life at Saclay, a center of the French Atomic Energy Commission. He studied photosynthesis with various advanced biophysical tools, often developed by himself and his numerous coworkers, obtaining a large number of new information on the structure and the functioning of antenna and of reaction centers of plants and bacteria: excitation migration in the antenna, orientation of molecules, rate of primary reactions, binding of pigments and electron transfer cofactors. Although it is much too short to illustrate his impressive work, we hope that this contribution will help maintaining the souvenir of Jacques Breton as an active and enthusiastic person, full of qualities, devoted to research and to his family as well. We include personal comments from N. E. Geacintov, A. Dobek, W. Leibl, M. Vos and W. W. Parson.

Oblivion Phenomenon in Science.

Recognition of true merits may not be a common virtue of the human being, as often achievements are either forgotten, not seen or just buried into oblivion. History of science has plenty of examples, occasionally tainted by endless and useless accusations or even lawsuits leading nowhere.