Surprising things scientists create from DNA

DNA holds important genetic information that is passed down through generations. But when put into the hands of researchers, you will be surprised by the products created from DNA below.

 

 

Filming the inside of bacteria

In 2016, researchers stored 100 bytes of data inside E. coli cells. A year later, they decided to push the limits of that experiment even further, and with good reason. Cells can go places humans can't, and if they can record and replay information like tiny GoPros, doctors might one day be able to observe biological changes directly inside the body.

 

In 2017, the team successfully encoded five frames of Eadweard Muybridge's classic film Horse in Motion into the DNA of an E. coli specimen. Each pixel of the animation was translated into DNA code , which was then embedded into the bacteria's genome using CRISPR gene editing technology. Incredibly, the organisms passed the "movie" to their offspring, from which the team of scientists restored about 90% of the image intact.

The world's smallest antenna

When scientists unveil the smallest antenna ever made in 2022, it's not made of metal, but of DNA. The device is just five nanometers (billionths of a meter) long. Instead of transmitting radio waves, the antenna tracks the movements of proteins inside living cells. Proteins constantly change shape as they perform their functions, but these changes happen too quickly to be easily observed. The DNA-based antenna uses fluorescent light signals to record those changes in real time. By reading the color of the light the antenna emits, scientists can track how specific proteins are functioning—an innovation that could lead to more effective drugs and nanoscale medical devices.

 

Smallest checkers board

Lab work doesn't have to be boring. In 2018, scientists at Caltech played a tiny game of tic-tac-toe. It wasn't a software simulation—it was built from DNA. The technique behind it, called DNA origami, was invented years ago to fold DNA strands into specific shapes at the nanoscale.

Researchers at Caltech used it to create the world's smallest version of the Mona Lisa. But the Tic-Tac-Toe board had one clever twist: it was flexible. Players could move their Xs and Os around by rearranging tiny DNA tiles, changing the pattern on the board. The game took six days to complete, and Player X eventually won.

Turning DNA into a masterpiece

 

A decade after DNA origami first appeared, scientists have gone one step further. At Caltech, they recreated Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night on the nanoscale by folding a single strand of DNA into precise shapes, held in place by shorter strands that act like staples.

The experiment is more than just art. The researchers used fluorescent molecules inside tiny light sources called photonic crystal cavities (PCCs), allowing the miniature Starry Night to glow in a variety of colors. The tiny masterpiece demonstrates how DNA origami could serve as a physical framework for future nanotechnologies—perhaps even molecular computers that process data using light.

Air filter

Airborne toxins exist in almost every home—not just chemicals from cleaning products, but also pollutants like chloroform and formaldehyde. Common houseplants can absorb some pollutants, but only if you have multiple large plants per 100 square feet (9.3 m²).

In 2018, the University of Washington unveiled a bioengineered solution that could do the same job much more efficiently. They modified a common houseplant, pothos ivy (Epipremnum aureum), with a rabbit gene called CYP2E1. This enzyme breaks down both chloroform and benzene, two of the most common household toxins. In lab tests, sealed containers filled with these gases showed significant reductions in their levels after three days and were nearly free of toxins after eight days. The so-called 'bunny ivy' isn't a replacement for mechanical air filters, but it's a promising step toward greener indoor air purification.