Editing Levinthal's paradox (section)

{{short description|Thought experiment of protein folding}}
'''Levinthal's paradox''' is a [[thought experiment]] in the field of [[Protein structure prediction|computational protein structure prediction]]; [[protein folding]] seeks a stable energy configuration. An algorithmic search through all possible conformations to identify the minimum energy configuration (the [[native state]]) would take an immense duration; however in reality protein folding happens very quickly, even in the case of the most complex structures, suggesting that the transitions are somehow guided into a stable state through an uneven energy landscape.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nelson |first=David L. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/986827885 |title=Lehninger principles of biochemistry |last2=Cox |first2=Michael M. |last3=Lehninger |first3=Albert L. |date=2017 |publisher=W.H. Freeman and Company ; Macmillan Higher Education |isbn=978-1-4641-2611-6 |edition=7th |location=New York, NY : Houndmills, Basingstoke |chapter=Polypeptides Fold Rapidly by a Stepwise Process |oclc=986827885}}</ref>