| TECHNOLOGY |
By covalently linking metallic nanocrystals to pieces of DNA, a team of researchers can use remote control to specifically and reversibly break the base-pairing that binds the DNA to its complementary strand. The group uses the magnetic field generated by radio-frequency radiation to heat gold nanocrystals bound to DNA. The heat is transferred only very locally to the DNA so that it disrupts the base-pairing only of the molecule tethered to the nanocrystal. When the radiation is switched off, the molecule cools, and the bonds reform in seconds. Author hopes the work will lead to a method for electronically and remotely controlling individual biomolecules for applications such as digital electronics
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