"Cellular Gate Technology" Thomas F. Knight, Jr. and Gerald Jay Sussman.  MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.  July 1997.

Description:

Microbial engineering may be one of the next engineering disciplines to replace and augment microelectronics for the 21st century. A molecular level assembly technology is required for further progress.  Nanotechnology has been proposed to construct such assemblies by chemical or mechanical techniques. The intentional engineering of micro-organisms may offer a more direct solution to some otherwise difficult problems, like self replication/manufacture, energy currency production and distribution, and local environmental control

The E. coli DNA is shown here spread out following rupture of a bacterial cell. The DNA is shadowed in gold and imaged in an SEM. The central ruptured cell is approximately 2 microns long. Note that the DNA is structured into tens of small loops rather than consisting of a single circular loop. Such small loops are thought to be held in place with proteins bound to the DNA strand.
 

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