Tiniest thermometer created using DNA

Scientists have created the world’s tiniest thermometer that is 20,000 times smaller than a human hair, using DNA structures that can fold and unfold at specifically defined temperatures. The advance may aid our understanding of natural and human designed nanotechnology by enabling to measure temperature at the nanoscale, researchers said. Over 60 years ago, researchers discovered that the DNA molecules that encode our genetic information can unfold when heated. “Inspired by those natural nanothermometers….we have created various DNA structures that can fold and unfold at specifically defined temperatures,” said Alexis Vallee-Belisle, professor at University on Montreal, Canada.