“. . . the two chains run in opposite directions.”

This central description of the double-helix model still stands today—a monumental feat considering that the vast majority of research findings are changed over time.

According to science historian Victor McElheny of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the staying power of the double helix theory puts it in a class with Newton’s laws of motion. Just as Newtonian physics survived centuries of scientific scrutiny to become the foundation for today’s space programs, the double-helix model has provided the bedrock for several research fields since 1953, including the biochemistry of DNA replication, the cracking of the genetic code, genetic engineering, and the sequencing of the human genome.

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