Model showing supercoiling of DNA, Cambridge, before 1988

Made:
before 1988 in Cambridge
maker:
Medical Research Council, Laboratory of Molecular Biology
Model showing supercoiling of DNA (yellow and black) made at

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Model showing supercoiling of DNA (yellow and black) made at
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Model showing supercoiling of DNA (yellow and black) made at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge

We are normally used to seeing DNA modelled as a double helix. This model shows the ‘supercoiling’ of DNA. Supercoiling means that the double helix structure has become twisted into a tighter coil, storing the genetic material in a very small space. It can twist in a clockwise or an anticlockwise direction. The model was made by the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology at Cambridge University.

Details

Category:
Biochemistry
Object Number:
1988-25
Materials:
yellow, black, wood, foam, plastic and paint
Measurements:
overall: 670 mm 315 mm,
type:
model
credit:
Medical Research Council, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge