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Switchable Net Woven from DNA

Posted by michael on from the weird-science dept.

virtualXTC writes "A team of US researchers have managed to make a woven DNA mesh that expands and contracts. By coating the net in silver they can make nano-wire lattice in which individual wires can be lengthened or shortened using a short snippet of ssDNA to create a nano-switch."

1 of 14 comments (clear)

  1. DNA again by tsa · · Score: 4, Interesting

    At our research institute there is also a lot of research going on in the use of DNA in nanotechnology. I always get the feeling this is mainly because adding the word 'DNA' in the proposal increases the chances that your proposal gets approved and you get the money you want enormously. Of course there are a lot of buzzwords in this /. post about how this invention can lead us to a better future for all, but I wonder whether this could be done simpler with cheap standard polymers? On the other hand, DNA almost is a cheap standard chemical already.

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