Name: DNA folding, in detail
Uploaded: 2008-09-02T01:00:00Z
Duration: 16 min 10 s
Description: In 2007, Paul Rothemund gave TED a short summary of his specialty, DNA folding. Now he lays out in clear, abundant detail the immense promise of this field -- to create tiny machines that assemble themselves.

In 2007, Paul Rothemund gave TED a short summary of his specialty, DNA folding. Now he lays out in clear, abundant detail the immense promise of this field -- to create tiny machines that assemble themselves.

DNA folding, in detail

Life’s complexity comes from computation at the molecular scale, where DNA functions like a biological programming language. By folding DNA into custom shapes, researchers have created billions of nanoscale smiley faces, each just one-thousandth the width of a human hair. These techniques point to a future where molecular programs assemble machines and circuits from the bottom up. The same principles that let a tiny change in DNA create a six-fingered hand could one day build entire computers from molecules.