Decades-old DNA mystery solved after strands are captured zipping together for the first time

Researchers have captured the moment two DNA molecules zip together, overcoming their identical negative charges to pair up and revealing a mechanism that has puzzled scientists for more than 20 years. Using high-powered atomic force microscopy, scientists at the University of Sheffield and the University of York directly imaged two DNA double helices locking together, marking the first time this fundamental biological process has been visualized.

≈