double helix

noun

Definition of double helix

: a helix or spiral consisting of two strands in the surface of a cylinder that coil around its axis especially : the structural arrangement of DNA in space that consists of paired polynucleotide strands stabilized by cross-links between purine and pyrimidine bases — compare alpha-helix, watson-crick model

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The basic unit of DNA is the base pair, one of the rungs on the twisted ladder that makes up the double helix. — Cathleen O'grady, Ars Technica, "DNA data from Africans reveals sequences that we’d missed," 24 Nov. 2018 About 99% of the 6 billion steps in the spiral staircase of DNA’s double helix are the same for all of us. — Robert Plomin, WSJ, "Our Fortunetelling Genes," 15 Nov. 2018 Yup, braid-savvy stylists on Instagram are recreating that twisty, turny, double helix structure and it's definitely caught our attention. — Wendy Sy, Allure, "These Viral "DNA Braids" Are Perfect for Science-Obsessed Beauty Lovers," 24 July 2018 To form the i-motif, the double helix untwists and then one of the strands bunches up with a bunch of cytosine molecules. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Scientists Discover That the Double Helix Isn't the Only DNA Form," 24 Apr. 2018 The show, whose title refers to the molecular biologist who discovered the double helix structure of DNA, will feature writers and performers who will discuss some of the others whose contributions to science have largely gone uncredited. — New York Times, "The Underground Science Festival Has New Faces to Introduce to You," 31 May 2018 Rosalind Franklin unlocked the secrets of DNA’s double helix structure courtesy of her work on X-ray crystallography. — Brian Keating, WIRED, "There's Nothing Noble about Science’s Nobel Prize Gender Gap," 27 May 2018 But for its part, National Geographic didn't make the plunge into molecular biology until 23 years after the discovery of the double helix. — National Geographic, "How We've Tackled the Evolving Science of DNA," 25 Apr. 2018 Its approach involved taking single strands of the double helix and stuffing them through a protein pore. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Pocket-sized DNA reader used to scan entire human genome sequence," 30 Jan. 2018

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