A New Four-Way Biological Switch for Synthetic Biology

Molecular switches are central to synthetic biology where they are often used to turn "on" or "off" the expression of certain genes, protein production, and other biological processes. This is definitely a technology to watch.


Nanoscientists Create Biological Switch from Spinach Molecule

"Nanoscientists have transformed a molecule of chlorophyll-a from spinach into a complex biological switch that has possible future applications for green energy, technology and medicine. [...]

The scientists used a scanning tunneling microscope to image chlorophyll-a and then injected it with a single electron to manipulate the molecule into four positions. [...]

The study also suggests a novel route for creating nanoscale logic circuits or mechanical switches for future medical, computer technology or green energy applications."