Proteins are involved in just about everything a living organism does.  There are many different kinds of proteins, each performing a different series of applications.  Transport proteins serve as transportation in an organism, they get things from one point to another.  The 2 proteins actin and miocin, give the muscle fibers the ability to contract.  Proteins are involved in more than just muscle. Motor proteins move the flagellum in the cilium of a micro organism, such as bacteria.  A majority of motor proteins have the ability to modify their shape in a series of repeatable ways and this is where motion comes from.  These few tasks, along with the tasks of the other 10’s of millions of different kinds of proteins happen on a molecular scale inside the smallest form of life, the cell.

Carbohydrates also play a crucial role in every organism.  A carbohydrate is a molecule consisting 3 different atoms: carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.  Carbohydrates, along with fats, store energy (calories) for an organism.  It is crucial that living organisms have this means of storing potential energy.

While proteins and carbohydrates perform completely different tasks, they are both essential to all living organisms.