A programmable technique for twisting and curving DNA into shapes, using strands of DNA that self-assemble into rigid bundles, has been developed by researchers at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard University.

The researchers built several structures, including a 12-toothed gear and a wire-frame ball. The goal is to eventually build a machine that could, say, deliver a tiny amount of a drug to a precise spot in the body.

(Science/AAAS)