This is just beautiful
“One of the most surprising (and thought provoking) feats of molecular engineering in this burgeoning area, is the construction by Nadrian Seeman and his coworkers at New York University, of giant (relative to most molecules), little (on the scale of macroscopic matter) stick figures, polyhedra and knots out of DNA.
Out of DNA? The idea seems wild -DNA is not your typical synthetic master sculptor’s clay. The notion also seems transgressive of natural order- to build geometric objects of no intrinsic value from genetic material. Let me face the second concern first, even before I show you the principles of this beautiful sculpture.
The nucleic-acid “system” that operates in terrestrial life is optimized (through evolution) chemistry incarnate. Why not use it? Not to make genetic manipulations of human DNA, which quite justifiably provokes ethical questions. But to allow human beings to sculpt something new, perhaps beautiful, perhaps useful, certainly unnatural. As beautiful and unnatural as a Schubert song or the American Constitution.”
DNA as Clay,
By Roald Hoffmann.
