By Peter Weiss
It’s been a while since DNA just encoded genes. During the past decade, scientists have found ways to use this celebrity of molecular biology as an electrical wire (SN: 7/13/96, p. 26), a girder for making elaborate structures, and a computing device. (SN: 8/14/99, p. 104) (SN: 9/18/99, p. 181).
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2003/06/3019.jpg?resize=150%2C125&ssl=1)
In a new twist for the helical molecule, DNA takes on a role of power. It’s the fuel for a device made of—guess what!—DNA.