Will the building block of life become the building block of the semiconductor industry? It's possible.

Scientists at IBM are conducting research into <A HREF="http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6231183.html?tag=nl.e550">arranging carbon nanotubes</A>--strands of carbon atoms that can conduct electricity--into arrays with DNA molecules. Once the nanotube array is meticulously constructed, the laboratory-generated DNA molecules could be removed, leaving an orderly grid of nanotubes. The nanotube grid, conceivably, could function as a data storage device or perform calculations.