To perform its functions in the cell, a DNA molecule needs to fold, coil and unzip — processes that depend on its mechanical properties. Lambert van Eijck at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and his colleagues have measured the elasticity of DNA and found that, at 83 newtons per metre, it is similar to that of nylon.

The team shot a neutron beam through aligned fibres of DNA and measured the scattering of neutrons as a way to gauge the speed of sound waves vibrating along the DNA helices. The authors also used a computer model of the DNA's vibrations to explain the large variation in previously reported elasticities, which ranged from 0.3 to 133 newtons per metre.

Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 088102 (2011)