Leap forward for molecular computing as DNA executes six-bit algorithms

A general-purpose, reprogrammable molecular computer has been constructed from DNA by a team of researchers in the US and Ireland. The system can execute different algorithms ranging from copying and sorting processes, generating random walks and executing cellular automata. It works by the self-assembly of DNA strands or ‘tiles’ into helices that form tubular structures by complementary base pairing. The emerging patterns on the tubes encode the output from the algorithm, and can be read out mechanically using an atomic force microscope (AFM) to inspect the molecular structures.