Sometimes the fine-tipped tweezers are just not fine enough. Researchers in China are reporting the development of a new DNA “tweezers” that are the first of their kind capable of grasping and releasing objects on-demand. The microscopic tweezers could have several potential uses, including microsurgery, drug and gene delivery for gene therapy, and in the manufacturing of nano-sized circuits for futuristic electronics. Unlike their full-size counterparts, DNA tweezers open and close by responding to complementary chemical components found in the structure of DNA. In the past, getting the tweezers to grasp and release objects like real tweezers has remained a bioengineering challenge -– but the Chinese team reports they have been successful at grabbing and letting go of tiny snippets.