Topic
double helix
Episodes and research papers from From First Principles that help explain double helix from the ground up.
Research
Papers and studies featured by the show.
Nature·
Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid
Imagine DNA as a twisted ladder (the famous "double helix"). The sides of the ladder are made of sugar and phosphate molecules, while the rungs are pairs of chemical letters (A, T, G, C) that always pair up in the same way - A with T, and G with C. This pairing rule is like having a perfect template: if you know one side of the ladder, you can figure out exactly what the other side looks like. This is how cells copy DNA when they divide, ensuring that genetic information gets passed along accurately from cell to cell and parent to child.