Double-Helix Double Up; April 2008; Scientific American Magazine; by Charles Q. Choi; 1 Page(s)

Talk about spooky action at a distance. Without any other molecules to guide them, double helices of DNA with identical sequences can recognize one another from a distance and even gather together.

That DNA bases attract is not a surprise, because base pairs are complementary like right- and left-handed gloves: adenine binds with thymine, cytosine with guanine. But when bound in a double-helix form, these bases are tucked away, hidden behind highly electrically charged strings of sugars and phosphates.