24th

Folding DNA to create nanoscale shapes and patterns Paul W. K. Rothemund

Summary A simple method for folding long, single-stranded DNA into arbitrary two-dimensional shapes was invented.

  The design for a desired shape is made by rater-filling the shape with scaffold and choosing staple strands to hold the scaffold in place. Once synthesized and mixed, the staple and scaffold strands self-assemble, and desired shapes such as squares and stars can be made.