Science in Seconds - DNA Origami

Science in Seconds Know Everything RAVES - DNA Origami Brit Trogen: I have to admit that after years of studying DNA in painstaking detail, I never once wondered whether it could be folded up at the nanoscale to form two-dimensional pictures. But then, I'm not Paul Rothemund from the California Institute of Technology. DNA origami is a technique developed by Rothemund that controls the folding of a long single strand of viral DNA, along with smaller staple strands to form arbitrary structures. And using this technique, Rothemund has succeeded in creating a variety of 2D and 3D shapes, including nanometer scale triangles, a smiley face, more smiley faces, and a rough map of North America. Close. Of course there's more to it than kindergarten-quality artwork. DNA shapes might be used in the future to create scaffolds, much like wooden molds are used today in concrete structures. And even though the structures would be destroyed by high temperatures, they could still be used to direct the growth of nanowires, or align circuits, and are currently being explored by IBM. Other possible uses including drug delivery and nanorobot applications are also being explored. But personally, I won't really be impressed until I see them do a DNA crane. Courtesy of Science in Seconds – All rights reserved Only for educational/non-profit purposes. (Translators are invited to put their name here)