Temperature-dependent bistable electrical switching in hydrated barley genomic DNA

Hydrated genomic DNA exhibits complex collective behavior mediated by its proton-rich hydrogen-bond network. Here, we report temperature-dependent bistable switching in hydrated barley genomic DNA under a weak electrical bias and a moderate magnetic field (0.5T). The hydrated sample was prepared in a mixed DNA-saline environment at approximately a 1:1 volume ratio (50/50) with physiological ionic strength (0.9% NaCl), providing controlled ionic screening conditions. After normalizing the transverse response by the longitudinal current to remove drive drift, the system displays telegraph-like switching between two preferred macroscopic states during cooling at a fixed magnetic field. The switching rate and dwell-time statistics vary strongly with temperature, with characteristic changes occurring near 18°C and 14°C to 15°C, temperature ranges previously associated with functional hydration regimes in barley DNA. These results demonstrate that bistable collective electrical dynamics persist under physiologically relevant ionic conditions, indicating robust temperature-tuned electrical behavior of hydrated genomic DNA under ambient conditions.