Protein can be switched on to conduct electricity like a metal.

Protein can be switched on to conduct electricity like a metal.When pushing the boundaries of discovery, sometimes even the most experienced of scientists can get a surprise jolt from a completely unpredictable result. About four years ago, Stuart Lindsay's research team got a lab result that even he couldn't quite believe. As with most scientific surprises, it goes against all conventional wisdom: the first evidence of a protein that could conduct electricity like a metal. Lindsay's research team has learned a thing or two about how single molecules behave when tethered between a pair of electrodes, which is the foundation for how his DNA readers work.The technology, called recognition tunneling, threads single molecules down a nanopore like a thread through the eye of a needle.