Unraveling the physics of DNA's double helix

 The stability of DNA is so fundamental to life that it's important to understand all factors , said Piotr Marszalek, a professor of mechanical engineering and materials sciences at Duke.  If you want to create accurate models of DNA to study its interaction with proteins or drugs, for example,  you need to understand the basic physics of the molecule . For that, you need solid measurements of the forces that stabilize DNA .