Brownian DNA Computing

Conventional silicon computing is constrained by energy demands, limited parallelism, and poor compatibility with living systems, motivating the exploration of molecular alternatives. Here, we realize Brownian DNA computing, a hitherto theoretical framework, for energy efficient computation in which coupled molecular balances on a DNA origami scaffold form Brownian Logic Elements (BLEs) that harnesses thermal fluctuations for computation. By encoding multiple logic gates into a programmed energy landscape, these BLEs execute all fundamental Boolean logic gates, complex circuits such as half-adders, and multi-input operations, while also enabling non-Boolean logic with multi-valued outputs in a single compact gate. Computation arises through thermally driven exploration of a near-flat configurational energy landscape, without reliance on consumable fuel strands for cascading signal propagation, making the process fast, resettable, and compatible with operation near reversible thermodynamic limits. Transient-input protocols further allow the BLE energy landscape to be controlled quasistatically, providing a route toward reversible Brownian computation. In combination with single-molecule readout, Brownian DNA computing establishes a new foundation for molecular information processing with potential applications in biocomputing, soft robotics, and energy-efficient nanodevices.