DNA Could Create the Computers of the Future

Most people know about quantum computers. But did you know that it might one day be possible to build computers from DNA? Researchers have found a way to "switch" the structure of DNA using copper salts and EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) that may allow scientists to create DNA-based computing.

Researchers knew that the structure of a piece of DNA could be changed using an acid, which causes it to fold up into what is known as an "i-motif." However, this new research reveals that the DNA structure can be switched a second time into a hair-pin structure using positively-charged copper. Then this change can be reversed using EDTA.

So what does this mean? It has applications for nanotechnology, where DNA is used to make tiny machines. It could also be used for detecting the presence of copper cations, which are highly toxic to fish and other aquatic organisms in water.

"A single switch was possible before-but we show for the first time how the structure can be switched twice," said Zoe Waller, one of the researchers, in a news release. "A potential application of this finding could be to create logic gates for DNA based computing. Logic gates are an elementary building block of digital circuits-used in computers and other electronic equipment. They are traditionally made using diodes or transistors which act as electronic switches. This research expands how DNA could be used as a switching mechanism for a logic gate in DNA-based computing or in nano-technology."

The findings are published in the journal Chemical Communications.

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