Image courtesy of Shutterstock/ktsdesign.
Joel Kontinen
New Scientist tells us how DNA can be used as a switch in a biological
computer.
“A nanoscale rotor made from DNA could be used as a tiny valve for tasks
like sorting molecules or act as a switch in a biological computer.
Designing moving mechanical systems at nanoscale is difficult because of
the random movements of small molecules, which knocks components back and
forth. There are many examples of effective biological motors in nature, such
as F-ATPase, an energy-producing enzyme with a central rotating column,
but functioning synthetic nanomotors had yet to be built.”
Wilkins, Alex, 2022, Spinning rotors made from DNA could power minuscule machines New Scientist 20 July,