Paul Rothemund: Casting spells with DNA

翻译人员: Jenny Yang 校对人员: Chaoran Yu

There's an ancient and universal concept that words have power,

自古以来，文字就普遍被认为具有一种魔力，

that spells exist,

我们相信咒语的存在，只要我们能够正确的念出那些文字。

and that if we could only pronounce the right words,

then -- whoosh! -- you know, an avalanche would come

然后，哈！你知道的，排山倒海之势就会从天而降

and wipe out the hobbits, right?

然后歼灭哈比人，是吧？这是一个非常有吸引力的想法

So this is a very attractive idea,

because we're very lazy, like the Sorcerer's Apprentice,

因为我们非常懒惰，有若巫士的学徒，

or the world's greatest computer programmer.

或是世界上最棒的软件工程师。

This idea has a lot of traction with us.

因此，这个想法对我们有极大的吸引力。

We love the idea that words, when pronounced,

我们很喜欢这个想法是因为，当这些文字被念出来时，

are little more than pure information,

他们不仅仅是单纯的传递讯息，

but they evoke physical action in the real world

而且他们还能触发一些在真实世界中

that helps us do work.

能实质上帮助我们工作的行动。

当然，因为我们周遭有大量可编程的电脑

So, of course, with lots of programmable computers

and robots around,

以及机器人，这个概念并不难被理解。

this is an easy thing to picture.

How many of you know what I'm talking about?

你们当中有多少人知道我现在在讲什么的？

Raise your right hand.

请举起你们的右手。好。有多少人

How many don't know what I'm talking about?

不知道我在讲什么的？请举你们的左手。好。

Raise your left hand.

非常好。这太简单了。

So that's great. So that was too easy.

You guys have very insecure computers, OK?

你们的「电脑」非常容易出错，对吧？

我想要说的是，这是一种不同的「咒语」。

So now the thing is, this is a different kind of spell.

This is a computer program made of zeros and ones.

这是一个由一堆0与1所组成的电脑程序。

它能够在电脑上被「念」出来。就像这样。

It can be pronounced on a computer, does something like this.

关键是我们可以以高阶语言去写它。

The important thing is we can write it in a high-level language.

一个电脑魔术师可以写出这种东西。

A computer magician can write this thing.

它能被编译成这样-- 变成一堆0与1--

It can be compiled into zeros and ones and pronounced by a computer.

然后被电脑念出来。

And that's what makes computers powerful,

这就是让电脑、强大的东西：

these high-level languages that can be compiled.

这些能被编译的高阶语言。

And so, I'm here to tell you, you don't need a computer

然而，我在这边还想告诉你，你并不需要一台电脑

to actually have a spell.

就能够施咒。事实上，你能够做的是

In fact, what you can do at the molecular level

如果你将资讯编码到分子层次上 --

is that if you encode information --

you encode a spell or program as molecules --

你使用分子来撰写「咒语」或是程式--

then physics can actually directly interpret that information

那么这些信息可以直接透过物理作用来解译

and run a program.

并且执行一个程序。蛋白质分子们就是这样的。

It's what happens in proteins.

When this amino-acid sequence gets pronounced as atoms,

当这些胺基酸序列以原子的型态被「念」出来，

these little letters are sticky for each other.

这些彼此之间紧密结合在一起的字母们

It collapses into a three-dimensional shape that turns it into a nanomachine

堆叠成三维立体结构使之成为

that actually cuts DNA.

一个能切割 DNA 的奈米机器。

The interesting thing is that if you change the sequence,

有趣的是，如果你改变序列，

you change the three-dimensional folding.

你也同时改变了其三维折叠的方法

You get, now, a DNA stapler, instead.

你现在得到的是一个 DNA 订书机。

These are the kind of molecular programs we want to be able to write.

这种就是我们希望能够撰写的分子程式，

The problem is, we don't know

问题在于，我们不知道蛋白质的程式语言;

the machine language of proteins or have a compiler for proteins.

我们没有蛋白质的编译器。

So I've joined a growing band of people

所以我加入了一个成员逐渐增长的组织, 我们

that try to make molecular spells using DNA.

尝试使用 DNA 制造分子魔咒，因为使用 DNA比较便宜。

We use DNA because it's cheaper, it's easier to handle,

it's something we understand really well --

它比较容易处理。我们对它的了解已经非常透彻了。

我们对它的了解是如此地透彻，事实上，我们认为我们可以

so well, in fact, that we think we can actually write

programming languages for DNA and have molecular compilers.

写一个DNA 的程式语言并且拥有分子编译器。

So then, we think we can do that.

既然我们认为我们可以做到。我的第一个问题是--

One of my first questions doing this was:

或者应该说我一堆问题的其中一个是-- 你如何

How can you make an arbitrary shape or pattern out of DNA?

用DNA来制造任意形状或图案? 我决定使用

I decided to use a type of DNA origami,

一种类似折纸的DNA 折叠艺术，你可以将一股长条DNA

where you take a long strand of DNA

and fold it into whatever shape or pattern you might want.

折叠成你想要的各种形状或图案。

So here's a shape.

这边是其中一种形状。事实上我在家中花了一年的时间，

I actually spent about a year in my home in my underwear, coding,

只穿着内裤，编写程式，就如同之前照片中的李纳斯·托瓦兹(Linux之父)一般。

like Linus [Torvalds], in that picture before.

This program takes a shape and spits out 250 DNA sequences.

这个程式输入一个形状，列出二百五十个不同的DNA 序列。

These short DNA sequences are what are going to fold the long strand

这些短的DNA 序列就是接下来将一长股DNA

into this shape that we want to make.

折叠成这种我们想要的形状时会派上用场的东西。

So you send an e-mail with these sequences in it

所以你发一封内含这些序列的电子邮件去一家公司，

to a company,

and the company pronounces them on a DNA synthesizer,

由这家公司使用DNA 合成仪去制造出这些序

a machine about the size of a photocopier.

合成仪的大小大概与影印机差不多。

And they take your e-mail,

然后，他们将你的电子邮件和内含序列的每一个字

and every letter in your e-mail, they replace with a 30-atom cluster --

变成约30个原子的群集，每一个单元就是一个字母，

one for each letter, A, T, C and G in DNA.

DNA 中的 A, T, C 和 G。他们被串成正确的序列，

They string them up in the right sequence,

and then they send them back to you via FedEx.

然后他们使用 FedEx 寄还给你。

So you get 250 of these in the mail in little tubes.

这封信件中有一些小管子，管子里面就有着这二百五十种序列。

I mix them together, add a little bit of salt water,

我把他们混合在一起，加一点点盐水，

and then add this long strand I was telling you about,

然后加入这个我一直跟你提到的东西，

that I've stolen from a virus.

我从病毒中借用的长股 DNA。然后，

And then what happens is,

you heat this whole thing up to about boiling.

将其整个加热至接近沸腾。再待其冷却

You cool it down to room temperature,

and as you do, those short strands do the following thing:

至室温，就像你平常会做的事一般，

这些短股DNA 就会去做接下来的事情：

each one of them binds that long strand in one place,

他们每一个都会与长股中的某处结合在一起，

and then has a second half that binds that long strand in a distant place,

然而他们的另外半段则会与长股中

and brings those two parts of the long strand

一段距离外的某处结合，使这长股的两部份

close together so they stick together.

互相靠近而黏在一起。

So the net effect of all 250 of these strands

所以这两百五十种短股的净效应

is to fold the long strand into the shape you're looking for.

将把长股折叠成你想要的形状。

It'll approximate that shape.

它大约就是那个形状。我们真的在试管中做这个实验。

We do this for real, in the test tube.

In each little drop of water, you get 50 billion of these guys.

每一小滴水中包含约五百亿个这些小东西。

With a microscope, you can see them on a surface.

你可以用显微镜看到他们平躺在一个平面上。

The neat thing is if you change the sequence and change the spell,

最棒的是如果你更改序列

改变咒语，你只要更改这些「钉书针」（指短股DNA）的序列。

just change the sequence of the staples,

you can make a molecule that looks like this.

你可以使一个分子看起来像这样，

And, you know, he likes to hang out with his buddies.

你知道他喜欢跟朋友在一起，是吧?

A lot of them are actually pretty good.

这些朋友聚在一起的确挺不错的。

If you change the spell again, you change the sequence again,

如果你改变咒语，就又改变了一次序列。

you get really nice, 130-nanometer triangles.

你会得到这些130奈米的三角形。你再做一次，

If you do it again,

you can get arbitrary patterns.

你能做出任何图案。所以在一个长方形上

So on a rectangle, you can paint patterns of North and South America,

你可以画出南北美洲的地图，或是排出「DNA」三个字母。

or the words, "DNA."

So that's DNA origami. That's one way.

这就是 DNA 折叠艺术。而这只是目前

There are many ways of casting molecular spells using DNA.

可以使用DNA 施展分子魔咒的许多方法中的一种。

What we really want to do in the end

我们真正想要做的是学习如何编辑

is learn how to program self-assembly so we can build anything, right?

自我组合的程式，这样我们就可以建出任何东西了，对吧？

We want to be able to build technological artifacts

我们希望能够创造出对世界有益的科技产物

that are maybe good for the world.

我们希望学习的是

We want to learn how to build biological artifacts,

如何制造生命，如人、鲸鱼或是树木。

like people and whales and trees.

And if it's the case that we can reach that level of complexity,

如果我们真的能够建造出如此复杂的东西，

if our ability to program molecules gets to be that good,

如果我们编写分子程式的能力真的如此强大

then that will truly be magic.

那就是真的创造奇迹了。非常谢谢你们。

Thank you very much.

（掌声）

(Applause)