Abstract
Craig Venter published the sequence of the human genome a few years ago [1]. However, the 2.91 billion base pair DNA examined seems to code for only about 30 000 proteins. A vast majority of them are barely known to exist, let alone fully understood. Therefore, major goals of current biological research are not only the identification, but also the precise physico-chemical characterization of elementary processes on the level of individual proteins and nucleic acids. These molecules are believed to be the smallest functional units in biological systems.
In addition to traditional biochemical techniques, fluorescence applications are becoming increasingly popular. Fluorescence can be detected with outstanding sensitivity, enabling researchers not only to identify individual components of complex biomolecular assemblies, e.g., live cells, but also follow their dynamics and temporal evolution.
