double helix

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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Examples of double helix in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The research campus would house a $246M multistory building resembling a double helix, modeled after a strand of DNA, and boast laboratories, plazas, restaurants, shops, commercial spaces and an elevated park with gardens and trails. — Rebecca Hennes, Houston Chronicle, "Photos show Houston's Texas Medical Center campus transform over nearly 100 years," 5 Mar. 2020 Pistor highlights the explosion of scientific creativity in molecular biology since Crick and Watson’s discovery of the double helix. — Adam Tooze, The New York Review of Books, "How ‘Big Law’ Makes Big Money," 28 Jan. 2020 Using their new method, the researchers printed an assortment of complex shapes—including tornadoesque whirls, single and double helices (above), branched treelike shapes, and even one that resembles a goldfish. — Ian Randall, Science | AAAS, "Liquid-in-liquid printing method could put 3D-printed organs in reach," 1 Nov. 2019 European colonizers invented the concept of race 500 years before the double helix was discovered. — Jack Herrera, Popular Science, "DNA tests can’t tell you your race," 27 Dec. 2019 Starting from scratch Both DNA and RNA can form a double helix, with the exterior of the helix formed by sugars linked through phosphates. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Single reaction mixture can produce all four RNA bases," 4 Oct. 2019 The base pairing that holds the double helix together always involves pairing a one-ringed base with a two-ringed base, which maintains a constant width of the helix. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Single reaction mixture can produce all four RNA bases," 4 Oct. 2019 Then, in 1956, three years after their work on DNA’s double helix, Watson and Crick came up with a plausible explanation. — Quanta Magazine, "The Illuminating Geometry of Viruses," 19 July 2017 The first one went out in 1974, when the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico transmitted a broadcast containing information on everything from the position of Earth in our solar system to the double helix structure of DNA. — Sigal Samuel, Vox, "If aliens call, what should we do? Scientists want your opinion.," 6 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'double helix.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.