/ English Dictionary |
DOUBLE HELIX
Pronunciation (US): | (GB): |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A pair of parallel helices intertwined about a common axis
Example:
the shape of the DNA molecule is a double helix
Classified under:
Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes
Hypernyms ("double helix" is a kind of...):
helix; spiral (a curve that lies on the surface of a cylinder or cone and cuts the element at a constant angle)
Context examples:
While many have shown that sleep helps the brain store new memories, others, including Francis Crick, the co-discoverer of the DNA double helix, have raised the possibility that sleep – in particular REM sleep – may be a time when the brain actively eliminates or forgets excess information.
(The brain may actively forget during dream sleep, National Institutes of Health)