Slashdot Mirror


Self-Assembling DNA Pyramids

FleaPlus writes "Physicists in England and the Netherlands have unveiled a technique for constructing rigid DNA pyramids. With the technique, trillions of d4's can rapidly self-assemble from a solution of single-stranded DNA. The scientists also showed that single DNA strands called linkers could be used to attach the tetrahedra to each other, acting as a possible building block for 3D nanofabrication."

6 of 108 comments (clear)

  1. trillions of d4s? by vermox · · Score: 5, Funny

    Man those D&D games are getting complicated!

    Oh... nevermind

    --
    --- /dev/null
  2. And Moses said to Pharaoh: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Let my nucleotides go!

  3. I knew It by lexxyz · · Score: 5, Funny

    I knew my DNA had to be a pyramid.

    It is more in line with my shape, gets wider the farther you go down!

  4. Re:Sounds cool by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Funny
    When can I purchase a house made of them?

    Just as soon as you send $1.00 each to the following people, then place your name on the top of the list and delete the last name from the bottom of the list! It's that simple and totally legal!*

    • Fester Bestertester
    • 1050 Karbunkle Ave #7B
    • Finster, NJ

    • Happy Guy
    • 742 Evergreen Terrace
    • Springfield

    • The Pope
    • 1 Pope St.
    • Vatican

    • Sir Alex Ferguson
    • Theater of Dreams
    • Manchester, UK

    • Cowboy Neal
    • 3rd Cardboard Box on the Left
    • Alley behind Rocky Peanut Company,
    • Holland, MI

    * In Antarctica

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  5. Next up... by Urusai · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...entire self-assembling DNA-based organisms. Scientists are working hard on the technology, but research is hampered by a mysterious and poorly understood preliminary stage called "sex".

  6. Thank you for your submission by Laaserboy · · Score: 5, Funny

    THANK YOU for your submission of a new
    [x] nanostructure
    [ ] laser
    [ ] transistor
    using
    [ ] straw and bailing wire
    [x] DNA strands
    [ ] silicon
    This is a bad idea, because
    [x] a 3-D structure is difficult to heat-sink
    [x] scientists likely never will produce a transistor this way
    [ ] this is a case of outright fraud
    The problem however is not to make circuits
    [ ] out of lasers
    [x] 3-D
    [x] self ordered
    But the problem is to make them
    [x] reliably
    [x] at low cost
    [x] faster
    Further this article was published in
    [ ] Science
    [ ] New Scientist
    [ ] Nature
    [x] Science News
    which is primarily a publicity-seeking mag, and not a great peer-reviewed journal for physics.
    I can say this because I have a
    [ ] BS
    [ ] MS
    [x] PhD
    in
    [x] Physics
    [ ] Electrical Engineering