YBRI Scientists Capture DNA Strands Zipping Together for the First Time

Posted on Tuesday 10 November 2026

Using advanced atomic force microscopy and computer simulations, the team revealed how positively charged metal ions act as molecular bridges, enabling negatively charged DNA molecules to align precisely despite their natural electrostatic repulsion.

Co-led by Professor Agnes Noy, the study confirms the long-proposed “DNA zipper” model and provides new insights into DNA recognition and pairing, processes that are essential to cellular processes such as recombination and may be relevant to cancer research. The findings could also open new possibilities for designing DNA-based structures for future biotechnology applications.

The research has also attracted wider scientific and media attention, with coverage by ScienceAlert and the study’s striking visual being selected by Nature as one of the best science images of September.

Read the full story on the University of York website.