The 'easyJet ecoJet'¯ would emit 50 percent less CO2 than today's newest ...
Friday May 27, 2005
More Images...
![]()
May 26, 2005
Envy of Nation’s Windowsills![]()
May 25, 2005
Plants Sacrifice Cells to Survive
The tiny dots in this array are only 8 millionths of an inch (200 nanometers) wide, and each contains distinct strands of DNA. Used to diagnose certain diseases, DNA microarrays may become more available because of a new "nano-printing" technique.
With up to 500,000 dots on a single silicon or glass chip, microarrays can quickly analyze a DNA sample. If some part of the sample matches the genetic code in one of the dots, the two DNA molecules will stick together, causing the dot to light up.
Like a genetic bingo card, a doctor or researcher can screen a person's DNA for Alzheimer's and certain types of cancer. The technique can also identify viral infections like AIDS.
The widespread use of DNA microarrays is hampered by the fact that producing them is a painstaking process that involves at least 400 printing steps and costs approximately $500 per microarray.
A novel method, called Supramolecular Nano-Stamping (SuNS), starts with the desired pattern "written" in DNA and then essentially lets other DNA-bits assemble themselves into an exact copy.
Developed at MIT, this nano-sized copy machine requires only three steps and could reduce the cost of each microarray to under $50.
Various materials besides DNA can be made to assemble along an original DNA "master," so SuNS has the potential to print out other nano-devices - like tiny metal wires, single-electron transistors, and biosensors.
Credit: Francesco Stellacci and Arum Amy Yu
Most Popular
- Recommended
- Commented
From the Blogs

- LiveScience Blogs
-
- The Bug Hunt Is On. Target: Marine Aliens
- HARPS Discovery - HD 40307 And Its Three Super-Earths
- Can This British Columbia Lake Tell Us Something About Life On Other Planets?
- Power Equals Positive Action But Only When Acquired Legitimately
- X Chromosome Gets Some Respect As An Evolutionary Tool
- Estrogen Therapy May Limit Strokes In Women - But The Timing Has To Be Right
- Reminder: Garth Sundem's Foolproof Equations On The Science Channel Tonight At 6PM
- The Bug Hunt Is On. Target: Marine Aliens
- 6.15.2008 | Tariq Malik
Father?s Day on Earth, in Space
t’s Father’s Day on Earth, and just in time for the seven-astronaut crew of NASA’s shuttle Discovery, which landed yesterday in... ... - 6.14.2008 | Robert Roy Britt
Cutting the Technotether That Ruins Your Life
he deluge of office and personal email and IM and texting, along with web surfing, putzing with iTunes and so on has workers increasingly distracted... ...
- 6.15.2008 | Tariq Malik






