Skip to main content

The Double Helix's Overall Structure

This video presents the same text shown beside it, spoken and on screen. It adds nothing the text does not say.

State

DNA's double helix is a uniform, right-handed twist of two antiparallel, base-paired strands, roughly two nanometers wide along its length.

Show

One full turn of the helix spans about ten base pairs, regardless of which bases make up that turn.

Watch for

The helix's width and turn spacing stay constant everywhere — only the base sequence varies from one stretch of DNA to another.