Vocabulary • Double helix – the shape of DNA, resembling a twisted ladder. • DNA – material in the cell that contains genetic information. o DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. o The DNA molecule has the shape of a double helix, or twisted ladder. The sides are composed of a sugar (deoxyribose) and phosphate groups. The “rungs” of the ladder are composed of pairs of nitrogenous bases. o The two sides of a replicating DNA molecule are called the leading strand and the lagging strand.
