image: Computer-generated models of three-dimensional nanostructures self-assembled from synthetic DNA strands called DNA bricks. A master DNA brick collection defines a 25-nanometer cubic "molecular canvas" with 1000 voxels. By selecting subsets of bricks from this canvas, Ke et al. constructed a panel of 102 distinct shapes exhibiting sophisticated surface features as well as intricate interior cavities and tunnels. These nanostructures may enable diverse applications ranging from biomedicine to nanoelectronics. This image relates to a paper that appeared in the Nov. 30, 2012, issue of Science, published by AAAS. The paper, by Yonggang Ke at Harvard University in Boston, Mass. and colleagues was titled, "Three-Dimensional Structures Self-Assembled from DNA Bricks." view more
Credit: Image courtesy of Yonggang Ke