Although the potential benefits of the technology could have have been over-stated, and it could introduce the dangers posed by synthetic organisms, it is a scientific landmark that deserved to become an article in our archive. Scientists in the US have succeeded in developing the first living cell to be controlled entirely by synthetic DNA…. »

A team of scientists from Columbia University, Arizona State University, the University of Michigan, and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have programmed an autonomous molecular “robot” made out of DNA to start, move, turn, and stop while following a DNA track. The molecular robot, nicknamed “spider”, shows the potential for the development of molecular-scale… »