DNA Movies

DNA Video No. 1 - Observe a crystalline growth front progress along the viewfield as crystallites of the nucleotide deoxycytidine slowly form. Photographed utilizing time-lapse cinemicrography under polarized illumination at a magnification of 100x with a playing time of 4.9 seconds. Choose a playback format that matches your connection speed: 28.8k (modem), 56.6k (modem), or T1/Cable/DSL, or download this video clip in MPEG format (1.64 MB).

Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) is a complex organic molecule found in all prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and in many viruses. DNA carries the chemical information needed to direct protein synthesis and cell replication.

A molecule of DNA consists of two strands of compounds, called nucleotides, linked together to form a chain. Each nucleotide consists of three chemical units: a sugar molecule called deoxyribose, a phosphate group, and one of four different nitrogen-containing compounds called bases. The four bases are adenine (A), guanine (G), thymine (T), and cytosine (C). The nucleotide chains are arranged into a ladder-like structure that has been twisted into the shape of a winding staircase, called a double helix.