Double-Helix Dialog: DNA Informs Fascinating Antenna Design with Biomedical Imaging Potential

Imagine scientists designing technology based on the double-helix DNA structure in our cells: well, it's happened and this podcast takes you on a futuristic journey into an exciting technology. Richard talks with a researcher working on this technology and the two speculate on exciting possibilities. So hold on tight, and learn about

• How antenna the size of DNA might be used in biomedical imaging techniques to capture cell images,
• How that same structure on a larger scale can bring more home technologies into one device, and
• Why that double-helix structure and base pair combination is the perfect model for modern antennas.

Great leaps often come from an inventor's effort to imitate nature and this is one such move. A researcher shares his exciting work on creating double-helix antennas with different sizes and capabilities. He explains the basics of antennas, but also opens up listener's appreciation for how many natural antennas exist in our bodies and world. He reminds us that antennae have always been inspired by nature, and, for example, are on the head of insects to detect chemical and mechanical signals in their environment. Therefore he and his colleagues looked inward and designed antenna inspired by DNA structure—a design structure modeling the double helix with base pairs that determine the antenna function. Because they've made these base pairs easy to switch, the function can be adjusted very easily and this makes them useful for the multiple applications that exist in today's multi-tech environment. He says that the three kinds of base pairs they use include those that work by capacitor, resistor, or conductor capabilities. He and Richard are able to explore numerous exciting potentials that different sizes, frequencies, and wavelengths make possible, from the importance of medical imaging to the convenience of wearable technology use. They even discuss how our own cells could be used as antenna, and explore how DNA's copy mechanisms might inform further developments. Modern materials such as the uses of photonic crystals and coherent optics keep those possibilities wide open. So listen in for more about cutting edge antenna technology. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK