DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) is the remarkable molecule at the core of all living things on Earth. And yet, despite its universal role in every second of our lives, few of us really appreciate its elegance and function.
This DNA scale model is intended for educational use to show its key structural features including base pairing, the classic double helix, along with the major and minor grooves. Since the model is modular, the more pieces you print, the longer you can make the model! This flexible model can also be separated into single DNA strands to help illustrate such things as base pairing, codons or even DNA replication and mutations. Use different colours for different bases and backbone to highlight the base pairing. An affordable model perfect for the classroom.
Fun fact: Each cell in our body contains a copy of our genome which is approximately 3 billion base pairs long. That means if you want to make a scale model of the DNA in just one of your cells you will need to print enough DNA to go around the Earth's equator about one and a quarter times. And you thought Kansas was a long way to walk. (dna model scale approximately 1:50,000,000)
Edit- 5/01/2016: Re-made the design from scratch to be more robust and easier to print. Also included the openSCAD file to make your own modifications. The original version is saved as "Old_DNAmodel_Set.zip" (I don't recommended to print these, they are just for archive purposes.)
Edit- 18/02/2016: Included a methylated cytosine to the set and updated the openSCAD file.
Edit- 4/03/2016: Included a zip file containing a stand for the DNA model. Still a work in progress! The 'DNA grip' part of the stand is designed to slot into the minor groove of the DNA helix.
Edit- 5/03/2016: Included a Uracil basepair for RNA modelling, and updated openSCAD file. Minor fix to Thymine base. Still working on RNA backbone piece, the additional hydroxyl to the ribose causes steric clashes in the model.
mkuiper
