Reusable for up to 25 different calculations, a DNA computer points toward possible uses in energy-efficient computing and long-term data storage.

A DNA computer has added 10 and 3 in 30 seconds, using interacting strands in water instead of a silicon chip. Developed by researchers at Maynooth University (MU), the system can also multiply and divide without a continuous electricity supply.

The work, published in Nature, presents a first-of-its-kind system described as one of the most complex and fastest molecular computers yet reported.