Scientists have built the tiniest antenna ever made – just five nanometers in length. Unlike its much larger counterparts we're all familiar with, this minuscule thing isn't made to transmit radio waves, but to glean the secrets of ever-changing pr
, the molecules carrying genetic instructions that are around 20,000 times smaller than a human hair. It's also fluorescent, which means it uses light signals to record and report back information.Part of the innovation with this particular antenna is the way in which the receiver part of it is also used to sense the molecular surface of the protein it's studying. That results in a distinct signal when the protein is fulfilling its biological function.
One advantage that this super-small DNA antenna has over other analysis techniques is that it's able to capture very short-lived protein states. That, the researchers say, means there are plenty of potential applications here, in both biochemistry and nanotechnology more generally.