DNA’s Secret Ingredient

Considering the recent interest in genetic engineering and profiling, it is worth noting that the structure and functioning of the DNA molecule is dependent on water. Millions of water molecules link themselves together into a network that envelops the DNA crystal, permitting it to fold and maintain a 3-D helical configuration that is absolutely essential to its storing and transmitting the codes for biological organisms. Besides this so-called hydrating water, there is another type of water that is situated within the tiny nooks and crannies of the DNA molecule itself. This integral water is characterized by physical properties that are quite different from those of water that we recognize as part of our everyday world. Moreover, this unusual type of water assists bridging or “gluing together” the more familiar components of a DNA molecule (e.g., bases, strands). Some naturalists claim that water is a key to mediating biology’s genetic code.