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DNA Assembled Nano-Transistors

Bob Vila's Hammer writes "In an article at New Scientist, researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have harnessed DNA to mold a nano-transister constructed of graphite nanotubes coated in silver and gold. The carbon nanotube assembly when completed is a fully working transistor when voltage is applied. The process is ingenious, using proteins from E. Coli bacterium to bind carbon nanotubes to certain sites on strands of DNA. Then graphite nanotubes coated with antibodies connect to the proteins. Finally, silver ions are added to the solution which chemically bond with the DNA site where the protein is attached. Further refinement of the technique is required before full scale production would be efficient, but this could allow the creation of elaborate self-assembling DNA sculptures and circuitry."

8 of 124 comments (clear)

  1. E. Coli Safety by dollar70 · · Score: 5, Funny
    The process is ingenious, using proteins from E. Coli bacterium...

    Great... Now when the compter blows up, I'll get dysentery.

    1. Re:E. Coli Safety by cloudship_tacitus · · Score: 3, Funny

      will overclocking cause explosive diarrhea?

  2. The real worry here is... by keoghp · · Score: 4, Funny

    Will the new computers built of this material be more suceptable to virus attack!

    --
    For problems, seek only the simplest solution, complexity brings with it more problems.
  3. cool by s0m3body · · Score: 2, Funny

    this will put phrase 'my computer has died' into a completely new light ;-)

  4. Future Virus's by Linus+Sixpack · · Score: 4, Funny

    I can just the future.

    "Humanity wiped out by terrible strain of life threatenning virus -- but it makes great video cards."

    Finally a use for the moon. A clean room.

    Could you imagine getting sick and having to sign an NDA and non contagion agreement?

  5. Re:Michael Crichton's Prey by tiled_rainbows · · Score: 2, Funny

    Michael Crichton's books are both good and original. Unfortunately, the original parts are not good, and the good parts are not original.

  6. Re:The Borg by mrtroy · · Score: 2, Funny

    Its not how long or when that should scare you, its the fact that resistance is futile.

    --
    [I can picture a world without war, without hate. I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it]
  7. Re:Adapt the proteosynthesis process by RichardX · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'm sorry, this is no criticism of your post, but I just realised it's 3:52 AM and I'm reading a website with discussion in which the following words can legitimately occur: ...adapt the proteosynthesis process for creating micro-polypeptide clusters that are circuit elements with highly specific binding sites for self assembly. A DNA sequence would encode an mRNA sequence that is passed to a ribsome-like micro-factory. An alphabet of tRNA units would carry heavily modified amino-acids and provide both the electrical and structural of properties of the polypeptide...

    I think I need to take a very long hard look at my life.

    If anyone needs me, I'll probably be in a remote temple in the north of france, wearing a simple brown habit, and chanting.
    --

    --
    Curiosity was framed. Ignorance killed the cat.