Add yet another startling ability to the DNA résumé. A Report in this issue ( p. 1465 ) presents evidence that the DNA double helix can perform chemistry at a distance. When light strikes a metal complex tethered to one end of a DNA molecule, a chemical change takes place far down the helix, causing a patch of damaged DNA to be mended. The feat supports the controversial possibility that DNA's unique structure allows it to behave like a conductive wire, which would be an even more impressive attribute.