From the Popular Science archive, the story of how Watson, Crick, Wilkins, and Franklin worked out the structure of life.

Scientists studied how a DNA double helix unzips when translocated at high velocity through a nanopore, reconstructing fundamental DNA thermodynamic properties from the sole speed of the process.

Researchers have imaged in unprecedented detail the three-dimensional structure of supercoiled DNA, revealing that its shape is much more dynamic than the well-known double helix.

The discovery of DNA's double helix structure 70 years ago opened up a world of new science — and also sparked disputes over who contributed what and who deserves credit. Much of the controversy ...

DNA replication begins when the double helix, caught in a vice of proteins, melts, scientists have discovered.

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have uncovered how the double helix structure of DNA is opened to allow DNA replication. The work could lead to further studies to better understand this ...

Key concepts Biology Life DNA Double helix Introduction Ever wondered how DNA, the genetic blueprint of a life-form, can encode and pass on the information on how to grow and maintain that life ...

The first direct images of the DNA double helix have been taken using electron microscopy. In a study published in the journal NanoLetters, Enzo di Fabrizio, head of the Nanostructures Department ...

Certain DNA sequences can form structures other than the canonical double helix. These alternative DNA conformations—referred to as non-B DNA—have been implicated as regulators of cellular ...

DNA minicircles and advanced imaging techniques reveal first step to untangle DNA We typically picture DNA as the straight double helix structure, but inside cells, DNA exists in supercoiled loops.

We looked at the inverse problem: we started from the DNA’s response to aggressive stresses, such as the forced unzipping of the double helix, to recover the details of the thermodynamics.