A new automated process speeds up DNA copying for genetic analysis and biotechnology.

Using convection, the circulation of hot liquids, it can drive a chain reaction that makes strands of DNA multiply exponentially fast. A prototype system generates DNA copies four times faster than standard techniques and could be miniaturized to just .1 millimeter, the researchers claim.

The convection method could drive pocket-sized devices for quick, on-the-spot DNA analysis, for example, in medical genetic screening and forensic science.

The researchers suggest that convection in natural systems on the early Earth — for example, near undersea volcanic vents — might have helped to drive the replication of primitive information-carrying molecules akin to DNA.

News tip: Walter Purvis