![\"Researchers](\"https:\/\/wp-assets.futurism.com\/2018\/12\/dna-origami-tic-tac-toe-300x158.jpg\")
<\/div>X’s and O’s<\/h2>
The world’s smallest game of tic-tac-toe could have a big impact on the future of nanotechnology.<\/p>
Researchers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have developed a new technique<\/a> for shaping structures out of strands of DNA, a process known as DNA origami. Unlike previous techniques, which effectively locked a structure in place once created, the researchers could reshape an already-constructed DNA structure using this new technique.<\/p> To demonstrate the powerful new technique, they used it to play game of tic-tac-toe using a DNA board. Because of course they did.<\/p> DNA origami takes advantage of the natural tendency of DNA molecules, or bases, to pair up with one another. Each base — A, T, C, and G — pairs with another of the bases: A and T are a team, as are C and G.<\/p> Strands of DNA pair up based on these matches — a strand with a molecule sequence ATTGCGA, for example, pairs perfectly with a TAACGCT strand — and researchers can create shapes out of DNA simply by manipulating the sequences of the letters.<\/p> But DNA strands can pair up partially, too. The Caltech team provides a somewhat depressing analogy<\/a> of this based on dating people most similar to you, but the basic gist of it is that a strand will “dump” a strand that’s a partial match (for example, one where five out of eight bases are pairs) for one that’s a better match (one where six out of eight bases are pairs). This replacement of one so-so match for a better match is called “strand displacement.”<\/p> In a paper<\/a> published on Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications<\/em>, the Caltech researchers describe how they combined strand displacement with a DNA origami technology called self-assembling tiles. That involves the creation of square-shaped tiles of DNA designed to fit together like the pieces of a puzzle.<\/p> To demonstrate their new DNA origami technique, the researcher put nine blank DNA tiles designed to form a three-by-three grid into a test tube. Once the tiles assembled, the researchers took turns adding X or O tiles to the test tube.<\/p> The researchers designed those tiles to replace specific blank tiles in the grid using strand displacement — the new tile was simply a better match in the chosen spot than the blank tile.<\/p> The game took six days, with player X emerging as the winner. But the research was about far more than just a game of tic-tac-toe.<\/p> The ability to reshape DNA structures could prove immensely useful in the future, as scientists are already exploring ways to use DNA origami to deliver drugs<\/a> and sort molecular cargo.<\/a><\/p> “When you get a flat tire, you will likely just replace it instead of buying a new car. Such a manual repair is not possible for nanoscale machines,” researcher Grigory Tikhomirov said in a news release<\/a>. “But with this tile displacement process we discovered, it becomes possible to replace and upgrade multiple parts of engineered nanoscale machines to make them more efficient and sophisticated.”<\/p> Good game, Caltech.<\/p> READ MORE:<\/strong> Researchers Make World’s Smallest Tic-Tac-Toe Game Board With DNA<\/a> [Caltech]<\/p> More on DNA origami: Nanobots Made of DNA Can Now Carry and Sort Molecular Cargo<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p> The post Scientists Used DNA to Play the Tiniest Game of Tic-Tac-Toe Ever<\/a> appeared first on Futurism<\/a>.<\/p> Originally posted here: X\u2019s and O\u2019s The world\u2019s smallest game of tic-tac-toe could have a big impact on the future of nanotechnology. Researchers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have developed a new technique for shaping structures out of strands of DNA, a process known as DNA origami. Continue reading A’s, T’s, C’s, and G’s<\/h2>
Perfect Match<\/h2>
Tiniest Winner<\/h2>
Scientists Used DNA to Play the Tiniest Game of Tic-Tac-Toe Ever<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"