A double helix twisted around itself: this is the distinctive structure of DNA, which is made up of large molecules. Using synthetically produced molecules, chemists and physicists at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have investigated the forces which are at work inside the molecule to give it its three-dimensional structure. They have discovered that there are two primary forces at play that can strengthen or weaken one another. The scientists have recently presented their findings in the international edition of the journal Angewandte Chemie.