Forget 3D printing—DNA and water now build tiny machines that assemble themselves A new approach breaks down complicated designs into modular building blocks for easy assembly from the bottom up.

The 3D breakthrough relied upon the bricks each consisting of a single DNA strand with 32 nucleotides — DNA's building block molecules — that can bind to as many as four neighboring bricks.

Using DNA as smart LEGO bricks, scientists are building the next generation of tiny tech that could change computing, medicine, and more.

Octahedral DNA origami frames that have encoded vertices capable of attaching nanoparticles can be used to form precise three-dimensional nanoparticle clusters and one- and two-dimensional ...