9,10-Dithioanthracene

9,10-Dithioanthracene is the first molecule ever to be able to walk in a straight line by itself simply by mimicking how a human walks. It is made up of a coal-tar derivative that is linked to a pair of sulfurous organic compounds. When the linked compounds were heated, they moved in alteration so that only one foot lifted from the copper surface. During testing, the molecule took about 10,000 unassisted steps. Investigators at the University of California, Riverside, and their colleagues believe the project could lead to molecular computers in which DTA or other like molecules are used as nano-abacuses.