DNA: stuff of life

From structure to function

The concept that DNA was made of a sequence of paired bases along a chemical backbone allowed Watson and Crick to draw two important conclusions:

  • First, the two sides or strands of DNA provide a mechanism for copying: if both strands are copied then the product is two identical 'daughter' molecules.


  • Second, the order - the sequence - of bases is the digital code that carries the instructions for how a cell should behave.



If we can understand the code, we are closer to understanding how cells work.