January 21, 2013 | Jasmine

I always think of my DNA as a wonderful yet ordinary double helix. It turns out I might have upgraded to a quadruple helix without knowing it. Scientists at Cambridge University have observed quadruple-stranded DNA in human cells for the first time. The team used fluorescent markers to identify the unusual molecule. Known as the G-quadruplex, this four-stranded mystery may reveal more about why we get cancer and help us to beat it.

This research appears in the 20 January 2013 issue of the journal Nature Chemistry.