Paul Rothemund: Casting spells with DNA

譯者: Bill Hsiung 審譯者: Sabrina WANG

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

自古以來，文字就普遍被認為具有一種魔力，

that spells exist,

因此我們相信咒語的存在，只要我們能夠正確的唸出那些字。

and that if we could only pronounce the right words,

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

然後，呼！你知道的，一堆東西會從天而降

and wipe out the hobbits, right?

然後殲滅哈比人，對吧？這是一個非常吸引人的想法

So this is a very attractive idea,

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

因為我們非常懶惰，就好像魔法師的學徒，

or the world's greatest computer programmer.

或是世界上最棒的電腦程式設計師。

This idea has a lot of traction with us.

因此，這個想法對我們有極大的吸引力。

We love the idea that words, when pronounced,

我們很喜歡這個想法是因為，當這些文字被唸出來時，

are little more than pure information,

他們不僅僅是單純的傳遞訊息，

but they evoke physical action in the real world

而且他們還能觸發一些在真實世界中

that helps us do work.

能幫助我們工作的實質上的動作。

當然，藉由我們周遭大量的可程式化的電腦

So, of course, with lots of programmable computers

and robots around,

以及機器人，這個概念並不難被理解。

this is an easy thing to picture.

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

你們當中有多少人知道我現在在講什麼的？

Raise your right hand.

請舉起你們的右手。好。有多少人

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

不知道我在講什麼的？請舉你們的左手。好。

Raise your left hand.

非常好。這太簡單了。

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

You guys have very insecure computers, OK?

你們的「電腦」非常容易出錯，對吧？

我想要說的是，這是一種不同的「咒語」。

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

This is a computer program made of zeros and ones.

這是一個由一堆零與一所組成的電腦程式。

它能夠在電腦上被「唸」出來。就像這樣。

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

重點是我們可以以高階語言去寫它。

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

一個電腦魔術師可以寫出這種東西。

A computer magician can write this thing.

它能被編譯成這樣 -- 變成一堆零與一 --

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

然後被電腦唸出來。

And that's what makes computers powerful,

這就是讓電腦功能強大的東西：

these high-level languages that can be compiled.

這些能被編譯的高階語言。

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

然而，我在這邊還想告訴你，你並不需要一台電腦

to actually have a spell.

就能夠施咒。事實上，你能夠做的是

In fact, what you can do at the molecular level

如果你將資訊編碼到分子層次上 --

is that if you encode information --

you encode a spell or program as molecules --

你使用分子來撰寫「咒語」或是程式 --

then physics can actually directly interpret that information

然後實際上這些資訊可以直接透過物理作用來解譯

and run a program.

並執行該程式。這就是蛋白質分子們所作的事。

It's what happens in proteins.

When this amino-acid sequence gets pronounced as atoms,

當這些胺基酸序列以原子的型態被「唸」出來，

these little letters are sticky for each other.

這些彼此之間緊密結合在一起的字母們

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

堆疊成三維立體結構使之成為

that actually cuts DNA.

一個能切割 DNA 的奈米機器。

The interesting thing is that if you change the sequence,

有趣的是，如果你改變序列，

you change the three-dimensional folding.

你也同時改變了其三維折疊的方法。

You get, now, a DNA stapler, instead.

它現在反而變成了 DNA 訂書機。

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

這種就是我們希望能夠撰寫的分子程式，

The problem is, we don't know

問題在於，我們不知道蛋白質的程式語言;

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

我們沒有蛋白質的編譯器。

So I've joined a growing band of people

所以我加入了一群逐漸增加的人群中，

that try to make molecular spells using DNA.

嘗試使用 DNA 製造分子魔咒。使用 DNA 是因為它比較便宜。

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

it's something we understand really well --

它比較容易處理。我們對它的了解已經非常透徹了。

我們對它的了解是如此地透徹，事實上，我們認為我們可以

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

programming languages for DNA and have molecular compilers.

寫一個 DNA 的程式語言並且擁有分子編譯器。

So then, we think we can do that.

既然我們認為我們可以做到。將其付諸實現時，我的第一個問題是 --

One of my first questions doing this was:

或者應該說我一堆問題的其中一個是 -- 你如何能製造

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

任意形狀或圖案的 DNA? 我決定使用

I decided to use a type of DNA origami,

一種類似摺紙的 DNA 折疊藝術，你可以將一股長條 DNA

where you take a long strand of DNA

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

折疊成你想要的各種形狀或圖案。

So here's a shape.

這邊是其中一種形狀。我事實上在家花了一年的時間，

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

只穿著內褲，編寫程式，就如同之前照片中的林納斯[·托瓦兹]一般。

like Linus [Torvalds], in that picture before.

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

這個程式將任何形狀，分成二百五十個不同的 DNA 序列。

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

這些短的 DNA 序列就是接下來將一長股 DNA

into this shape that we want to make.

折疊成這種我們想要的形狀時會派上用場的東西。

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

所以你發一封內含這些序列的電子郵件去一家公司，

to a company,

and the company pronounces them on a DNA synthesizer,

由這家公司使用 DNA 合成儀去製造出這些序列。

a machine about the size of a photocopier.

合成儀的大小大概與影印機差不多。

And they take your e-mail,

然後，他們將你的電子郵件和內含序列的每一個字母，

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

變成約卅個原子的群集，每一個單元就是一個字母，

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

DNA 中的 A, T, C 和 G。他們被串成正確的序列，

They string them up in the right sequence,

and then they send them back to you via FedEx.

然後他們使用 FedEx 寄還給你。

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

這封信件中有一些小管子，管子裡面就有著這二百五十種序列。

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

我把他們混合在一起，加一點點鹽水，

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

然後加入這個我一直跟你提到的

that I've stolen from a virus.

我從病毒中借用的長股 DNA。然後，

And then what happens is,

you heat this whole thing up to about boiling.

將其整個加熱至接近沸騰。再待其冷卻

You cool it down to room temperature,

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

至室溫，就像你平常會做的事一般，

這些短股 DNA 就會去做接下來的事情：

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

他們每一個都會與長股中的某處結合在一起，

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

然而他們的另外半段則會與長股中

and brings those two parts of the long strand

一段距離外的某處結合，使這長股的兩部份

close together so they stick together.

彼此靠近而黏在一起。

So the net effect of all 250 of these strands

所以這兩百五十種短股的淨效應

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

使長股折疊成你想要的形狀。

It'll approximate that shape.

它大約就是那個形狀。我們真的在試管中做這個實驗。

We do this for real, in the test tube.

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

每一小滴水中包含約五百億個這些小東西。

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

你可以用顯微鏡看到他們平躺在一個平面上。

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

最棒的是如果你更改序列

改變咒語，你只要更改這些「釘書針」（指短股 DNA）的序列。

just change the sequence of the staples,

you can make a molecule that looks like this.

你可以使一個分子看起來像這樣，

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

你知道他喜歡跟朋友在一起，對吧?

A lot of them are actually pretty good.

這些臭味相投的朋友聚在一塊看起來的確挺不錯的。

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

如果你改變咒語，就是又一次的改變序列。

you get really nice, 130-nanometer triangles.

你會得到這些一百三十奈米的三角形。你再做一次，

If you do it again,

you can get arbitrary patterns.

你能做出任何圖案。所以在一個長方形上

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

你可以畫出南北美洲的地圖，或是排出「DNA」三個字母。

or the words, "DNA."

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

這就是 DNA 折疊藝術。而這只是目前

There are many ways of casting molecular spells using DNA.

可以使用 DNA 施展分子魔咒的許多方法中的一種。

What we really want to do in the end

我們真正想要做的是學習如何寫出

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

自我組合的程式，這樣我們就可以建出任何東西了，對吧？

We want to be able to build technological artifacts

我們希望能夠建造出對世界有益的科技產物

that are maybe good for the world.

我們希望學習

We want to learn how to build biological artifacts,

如何製造生命，像是人、鯨魚或是樹木。

like people and whales and trees.

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

如果我們真的能夠建造出如此複雜的東西，

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

如果我們編寫分子程式的能力真的如此高竿，

then that will truly be magic.

那就是真的魔術了。非常謝謝你們。

Thank you very much.

（掌聲）

(Applause)