Unraveling+The+Physics+Of+DNA's+Double+Helix

[|Unraveling The Physics Of DNA's Double Helix] July 16, 2007 The shape and stability of the DNA molecule is fundamental for life to exist. Researchers at Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering decided to observe the physical forces of the DNA molecule. They deduced that a DNA molecule does not form a double helix at random; however, there are many physical forces at work. They were right. These physical forces result from the chemical attraction and repulsion of the nucleotides, phosphate groups, and sugar groups. They used extremely sensitive equipment to test the strength of these forces. They focused on the forces between the individual rungs, not between opposite bases. They discovered many new things about the DNA molecule such as thymine has the weakest attraction while adenine has the strongest. Using this knowledge, scientists can better understand how the DNA molecule is held together and its function. This can help scientists understand mutations and genetics better as a whole. Understanding the structure is the first step to understanding the function.

msolt 3/10/2010