Guide to the History and Nature of the Double Helix

Double Helix of DNA - Wikimedia Commons by Jerome Walker When one speaks of the Double Helix, one speaks of DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid, the “thread of life.” DNA is not one chemical substance, but a class of substances related not simply to life, but to heredity, to identity. The beautiful twist of the double helix incorporates, not only a backbone of polymerized sugars and phosphate groups joined together by ester linkage like a spiral staircase, but also of the “stairs,” made up of organic base pairs of adenosine with thymine and guanine with cytosine. The unraveling of the structure of DNA’s double helix was not the endeavor of one individual, but took many sharp minds. Consider unfolding double helix developments with articles written by Bright Hub contributors.

DNA Double Helix - Public Domain by Jerome Walker (Wikimedia Commons)

Rosalind Franklin and the DNA Double Helix

A biophysicist and crystallographer in the 1940s and 50s, Rosalind Franklin undertook imaging work that unlocked the secrets to DNA’s structure. It is only since the publication...

DNA Structure FAQ

If you don't know an exon from an intron, or your nucleotide from your nucleoside, then let Bright Hub Genetics unravel the mysteries of the double helix for you with our DNA Structure...

DNA Structure: The Four Bases

The DNA molecule contains all the information needed for an organism to develop and function. It's locked up inside the four chemical bases, adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine. The diversity of...

Scientific Heroes: Maurice Wilkins

In 1962, Crick and Watson were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for, discovering the structure of DNA. The third recipient was Maurice Wilkins, who was recognized for his valuable contribution...

The Structure and Function of DNA as the Molecule of Inheritance

The structure and function of DNA are highly interrelated. From the composition of base pairs to their spacial arrangement understanding the structure and function of DNA as the molecule of inheritance...

Ribonucleic Acid: Where is it Found in the Human Body?

RNA is primarily a linear nucleic acid polymer. Unlike DNA, it is not a double helix. The most common locations are in the cell nucleus, mitochondria and ribosomes....

What is DNA Replication?

The answer is essential to understanding the basic rules of genetics. An understanding of the process of DNA replication can help you gain basic knowledge about genetic engineering and how genetic mutations...

Towering Figures in the History of Genetics

Crick and Watson may well be the names that trip off the tongue when most people are asked to identify pioneering geneticists. But behind these two scientific giants is a crowd of equally...

DNA Structure: The Four Bases

The DNA molecule contains all the information needed for an organism to develop and function. It's locked up inside the four chemical bases, adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine...