The Double Helix and DNA ReplicationĭNA replication is the biological process by which a double-stranded DNA helix is copied, producing two identical replicas. The C-G pair is held together by three hydrogen bonds. The A-T base pair is held together by two hydrogen bonds. These bases pair up using a very weak type of chemical bond called a hydrogen bond. When the base pairs interact, they match up in a very specific way: A always pairs with T, and C always pairs with G. There are four types of bases in DNA, which are often called by their initials: adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine(G). Each rung between the two strands of DNA is formed by pairs of these nitrogenous bases. Connected to each sugar is a nitrogenous base. The double comes from the fact that the helix is made of two long strands of DNA that are intertwined-sort of like a twisted ladder.Įach strand of DNA (or side of the ladder) is a long, linear molecule made up of a backbone of sugars and phosphate groups. The double helix of DNA is, like its name implies, in the shape of a helix that is a three-dimensional spiral. It is considered one of the most important scientific discoveries for a reason. It gave a simple explanation for how DNA is copied when a cell divides, how it is passed down from generation to generation, and how such a simple molecule could provide all the mind-bending complexity that is life on Earth. When James Watson and Francis Crick, with the help of critical data from Rosalind Franklin, uncovered this structure in 1953 it revolutionised how scientists and eventually everyone thought about heredity. The DNA double helix is the most famous molecular structure in all of biology.
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