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Proteins in the light of evolution
Proteins illustrate at a molecular scale our difficulty to apprehend biological systems. They highlight, in particular, the limitations of classical biophysics approaches. Many proteins are indeed extremely well characterized, from their constituents to the principles that govern their interactions. Yet, we generally do not know how to relate the sequence of a protein to its physical and chemical properties. This difficulty may reflect an intrinsic complexity but, as I will explain, looking at the problem from an evolutionary perspective clearly points towards simplifying principles. I will present practical methods and theoretical models aimed at elucidating the nature and origin of this underlying simplicity.