Explore the complex scaling of non-covalent interactions in nanoscale systems through this 53-minute conference talk by Martin Stöhr from the University of Luxembourg. Delve into the limitations of common approximations used in atomistic modeling for large-scale systems, including point-to-point-like electronic response and pairwise additivity of van der Waals interactions. Discover new insights into the heterogeneous character of electronic response, van der Waals dispersion in solvated biomolecules, and the importance of higher-order interactions in nanostructured environments. Learn about quantum-mechanical many-body treatments of van der Waals dispersion and their implications for protein folding. Understand the necessity of efficient quantum-mechanical methods for achieving reliable descriptions of practically-relevant systems in technological and pharmacological developments.