Subject:
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Re: LEGO DNA Sculpture
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.build
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Date:
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Tue, 3 Apr 2001 18:50:22 GMT
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Viewed:
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309 times
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In lugnet.general, Eric Harshbarger writes:
>
> A while back a number of 'mathematically inclined' LEGO models were
> posted and generated a lot of interest.
>
> Here's my contribution to such a theme:
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> http://www.ericharshbarger.org/lego/dna.html
>
> cheers,
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> eric
Very nice, Eric!
As a biologist, I've been toying with the idea of building a DNA molecule
myself. Here are some details you might like to know (or, maybe not?):
1) You have eight base-pairs per turn of the helix, an obvious and sensible
choice for Lego modeling. The pitch of real DNA is sightly over ten bases per
turn.
2) The grooves between the bases are equally spaced in your model, and the base
pairs are represented as straight lines going straight through the central
axis. In real DNA, there's a "major groove" and a "minor groove," and the
bases do not directly oppose each other. They meet at an angle. This also
complicates modeling.
--
John J. Ladasky Jr., Ph.D.
Department of Biology
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD 21218
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: LEGO DNA Sculpture
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| Don't forget, you only need 2 colors for the links -- C to G, and A to T. That should cut down on the need for expen$ive orange bricks... But how to model the directionality of the base chains? Hmmm... James Wilson, Research Biologist Platelet (...) (24 years ago, 3-Apr-01, to lugnet.build)
| | | Re: LEGO DNA Sculpture
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| Yes, there were definitely some compromises made in the LEGO DNA model. The eight base-pairs/turn was the most obvious. Basically, I needed, in a short timeframe, to come up with a fair representation of the 'idea of a DNA molecule'... and I think (...) (24 years ago, 3-Apr-01, to lugnet.build)
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