Harvard University scientists on Wednesday said they had created Smileys, Chinese characters and card-game symbols at scales of billionths of a metre using strands of DNA.<\/p>\n
The feat marks the next step in \"DNA origami\" in which the molecule that provides the genetic code for life is used as a building block at the nanoscale, with potential outlets in engineering and medicine. <\/p>\n
DNA is like a twisted ladder with double \"rungs\" of chemicals which interlock. <\/p>\n
By unzipping the ladder and cutting it lengthwise, researchers can create a stretch with a set of single rungs that can partner up with a matching strand. <\/p>\n
This is the characteristic harnessed by a team led by Peng Yin of Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inpired Engineering. <\/p>\n
Reporting in the British journal Nature, the team showed off short lengths of DNA, each 42 \"rungs\" long, that interlocked with complementary stretches of the molecule. <\/p>\n
Like Lego tiles, the strands could be programmed to assemble themselves into specific shapes. <\/p>\n
To demonstrate the method, the team made a molecular picture featuring 107 designs, from emoticons, Chinese characters, numbers and letters from the Latin alphabet. <\/p>\n
The canvas is a rectangle measuring 64 nanometres by 103 nanometres, with 310 pixels. <\/p>\n
Scientists have been interested in nanoscale shapes for more than 20 years, and have progressively moved from two dimensional to three dimensional successes. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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DNA strands create tiniest Smileys<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Harvard University scientists on Wednesday said they had created Smileys, Chinese characters and card-game symbols at scales of billionths of a metre using strands of DNA. The feat marks the next step in \"DNA origami\" in which the molecule that provides the genetic code for life is used as a building block at the nanoscale, with potential outlets in engineering and medicine Continue reading