DNA Genewalkers: These Genes Were Made For Walking

Scientists have created a genetic nanobot which can grip onto DNA and relentlessly march forward, drawing the power to do so from nearby molecules.  At the Daily Galaxy we're trying to use the phrase "like something from a science fiction movie" less, but honestly, science is making it very hard.

The genewalker is the work of scientists at the University of Oxford.  DNA highway marchers aren't anything particularly new in nanotech - DNA's clever structure and great length make it a widely used material - but the Oxford team's claims to be the Swiss watch of such devices.  It is designed with a number of improvements over other minimachines: it can continuously walk forward (whereas other machines exhibited a random walk which took them nowhere at all) and doesn't lose its grip.

It also doesn't destroy the surface it walks on, which is a major plus.  Some previous walkers tore up the track as they proceeded, and call us old-fashioned, but "Invisible machines which rip up DNA with jackboots" is filed firmly under "Nightmares we never even thought we'd have to have".  Of course, these devices aren't for use in living tissue.  Instead the plan is to use single-sided DNA rails as the transport tracks in nanofactories, with cargo-carrying genewalkers shuttling molecules from one modification site to another.

Also, the Atomic Oxford Ambler isn't quite perfect.  It can only take one step so far, which might be kind of an "issue" for something whose whole purpose is to walk.  But the scientists behind the project are confident they can kick it into further motion, turning this one (extremely) small step into a giant leap for nanotech.

Posted by Luke McKinney.

DNA Walker http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126884.300-nanobot-lets-the-dna-legs-do-the-walking.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=nanotechnology