DNA Structure
An Interactive Animated Nonlinear Tutorial by Eric Martz
Adapted for using Jmol instead of Chime, by Angel Herráez
Univ. de Alcalá (Spain)

Disponible también en español.

This version J-3.0.1 works in any Java-compatible browser. Java Virtual Machine must be installed (JVM, included with many browsers or available in Sun's Java website).
More tutorials on DNA and proteins, in English, Spanish, etc., are indexed at molvisindex.org.

This tutorial is designed to complement Biology or Biochemistry and Molecular Biology books, so it is not by itself a complete introduction to DNA structure. Please, check the original source for more recent versions. You can also read the version history at the bottom of this page.

  1. Before proceeding, check that your browser has Java installed and can read the Jmol software:
    Jmol test

  2. This tutorial is designed to complement an introduction to DNA by providing tools for a self-directed exploration. It does not tell a story (but does offer questions for students and a lesson plan for teachers). As a preamble to the tutorial below, or for a story that introduces DNA Structure with interactive molecular graphics, we recommend Exploring DNA Structure by Andrew Carter (which requires Chime), or other DNA links.

     
  3. The Animated Interactive Tutorial Pages (A, B, C, D)
       Please use a large window for these (full-screen if your screen resolution is 800 x 600 or less):
    4. A. Double helix by element: base pairs, hydrogen bonding

    		B. The Code

    Explanation of codons and anticodons
    C. Strands and helical backbone

    		D. Ends, Antiparallelism

  4. Questions for Students
    and a Lesson Plan for Teachers.

  5. More DNA Resources include tutorials for high school students, college freshmen, interactive Shockwave simulations of agarose gel electrophoresis to learn about electrical charge of DNA, cutting with restriction endonucleases, etc. 


Methods, Acknowledgements, and References.
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Version history (year/month/day)