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5.03: The Double Helix of DNA

Last updated: Mar 30, 2026

Image unavailable: Diagram of a DNA double helix, showing the structure with labeled phosphate, deoxyribose, and base pairs. An arrow points to the 3 and 5 ends, indicating directionality.
Figure 5.3.1: Double Helix of DNA

This structure of DNA was worked out by Francis Crick and James D. Watson in 1953. It revealed how DNA - the molecule that Avery had shown was the physical substance of the genes. It could be replicated and so passed on from generation to generation. For this epochal work, they shared a Nobel Prize in 1962.