< Previous | Contents | Next >
♤ A molecular assembler is a molecular machine capable of assembling other molecules given instructions, energy, and a supply of smaller "building block" molecules to work from. They can work individually as tiny stand-alone systems, or potentially be organized in large numbers to form a desktop-scale nanofactory able to build macroscopic products. Distinction is sometimes made between synthetic and naturally occurring molecular assemblers.
♤ In cellular biology, the ribosome demonstrates the essential principles of a molecular assembler. Working within a cell's environment, it reads strands of mRNA as its instructions and assembles specific large protein molecules out of more fundamental parts.
♤ Synthetic assemblers have not yet been constructed, and some controversy exists as to whether they are possible or what their ecological impact might be. The potential uses of synthetic assemblers could be more general, and are thought to be especially applicable to materials science.