[From the trailer of the movie 'Jurassic World': We hit the jackpot with genetic modification. (It's certainly a hit with the dinosaurs.)]

DNA is the blueprint containing the genetic information of all living organisms, including humans.

While the movie depicts the imagination of reviving dinosaurs through genetic manipulation, in reality, it is widely used across the bio-industry, from disease diagnosis to new drug development.

However, synthesizing desired DNA sequences has traditionally required repeating the process of adding and washing away reagents countless times.

The necessity of expensive, large-scale equipment and specialized facilities has imposed significant burdens in terms of both time and cost.

A South Korean research team, including members from KAIST, has provided a clue to solving this challenge by creating "hairpin DNA" that remains folded like a hairpin and unfolds only at specific temperatures.

The method involves mixing various hairpin DNA strands that unfold at different temperatures—such as 25°C, 37°C, and 50°C—in a single test tube, and then gradually increasing the temperature to assemble DNA blocks into the desired sequence.

This allows for the synthesis of DNA with desired sequences simply by controlling the temperature, without the need for complex chemical reagents or large-scale equipment.

[Interview: Choi Young-jae, Professor at the KAIST Graduate School of Engineering Biology: The advantage and unique feature is that you can synthesize DNA in a general laboratory setting just by mixing various types of DNA hairpins in a single tube and changing the temperature.]

Utilizing this technology, the research team also implemented a "DNA temperature black box" that operates without electricity.

It begins to function with just a single drop of water, automatically recording in the DNA whether goods have been transported safely within the appropriate temperature range.

[Interview: Choi Jang-ho, Ph.D. candidate at the KAIST Graduate School of Engineering Biology: Since exposure to temperatures above a certain threshold is immediately visible through a color change, we expect it to be applied to the transportation of vaccines, pharmaceuticals, and fresh food.]

This research achievement, which could shift the paradigm of bio-industry processes, was published in the international journal Nature Communications.

Unfolding like a hairpin... Synthesizing DNA by changing only the 'temperature' (July 8, 2026, 12:00 News)

Reported by Jo Hyeong-jun (TJB) | Written by Lee Se-young | Video by Song Chang-geon (TJB) | Footage courtesy of Universal Pictures, YouTube (KAIST), YouTube (MIT Biology Teaching and Learning Group) | Produced by SBS Digital News