While the Arab world tries to figure out why Jews—even though they are pigs and monkeys cursed by Allah—still manage to rule the known universe, Israeli scientists are busy creating self-assembling transistors by attaching carbon nanotubes to strands of DNA; the coolest new technology I’ve seen this month: DNA used to create self-assembling nano transistor. (Hat tip: M. Simon.)

The researchers manipulated strands of DNA to add bacteria protein to a segment of the DNA. They then added certain protein molecules to the test tube, along with protein-coated carbon nanotubes. These proteins naturally bond together, causing the carbon nanotube to bind to the DNA strand at the bacteria protein.

The new technique takes advantage of a biological process known as recombination, where a segment of DNA is swapped out for an almost identical piece. The cell uses recombination to repair damaged DNA and to swap genes. By attaching a nanotube to the protein, the nanotube moves to an exact location along the DNA strand.

“The DNA serves as a scaffold, a template that will determine where the carbon nanotubes will sit,” Braun said. “That’s the beauty of using biology.”

Finally, they created tiny metal nanowires by coating DNA molecules with gold. In this step, the bacteria protein served another purpose: it prevented the metal from coating the bacteria-coated DNA segment, creating extending gold nanowires only at the ends of the DNA strand.

The goal, Braun explained, was to create a circuit. However, “at this point, the carbon nanotube is located on a segment of DNA, with metal nanowires at either end. Theoretically, one challenge here would be to encourage the nanotube to line up parallel to the DNA strand, meet the nanowires at either end, and thus make a circuit.

“There are some points where nature smiles upon you, and this was one of those points,” Braun continued. “Carbon nanotubes are naturally rigid structures, and the protein coating makes the DNA strand rigid as well. The two rigid rods will align parallel to each other, thus making an ideal DNA-nanotube construct.”

“In a nutshell, what this does is create a self-assembling carbon nanotube circuit,” he concluded.

But of course, this Israeli innovation pales into insignificance next to the Arab world’s forehead-activated buzzing prayer rug.