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We’re one step closer to making molecular computers, which would use
molecules to represent the 0s and 1s of binary code instead of today’s much
larger silicon transistors. A team from Hewlett-Packard and the University of
California in Los Angeles has created a logic gate that uses a single layer of
organic molecules as a switch. Applying a voltage to the switch causes the
molecules to change shape, breaking a connection and preventing current from
flowing (Science, vol 285, p 391). But so far the team can only stop
the flow—they cannot restore it.