The Mechanism of DNA Replication

[agro]

I once read a 1997 physics book. At the end of the 'static electricity' chapter, it explains the mechanism of DNA replication and protein synthesis (in which static electrical force plays a critical role). However, it says something like 'this model has not been seen in action. It is consistent by various experimental evidences and the current accepted physical theories.'

I'm curious about wether our 2004 technology is able to see this in action (in other words, have it been seen in action now)?

Thanks in advance.

 

[hitssquad]

Computer modeling may still be needed to answer questions in quantum chemistry

I once read a 1997 physics book. At the end of the 'static electricity' chapter, it explains the mechanism of DNA replication and protein synthesis (in which static electrical force plays a critical role). However, it says something like 'this model has not been seen in action. It is consistent by various experimental evidences and the current accepted physical theories.'

I'm curious about wether our 2004 technology is able to see this in action (in other words, have it been seen in action now)?

I don't think so, and the reason is that it has only been within the past week or so that researchers have known that DNA becomes more flexible when it is damaged and the way they found out is via computer modeling:

• ...banged up DNA becomes flexible, suggests the most detailed computer model of damaged DNA to date. Further, this flexibility explains how the body's enzymes recognize and fix damaged DNA...
  
  Haranczyk said this was the first quantum chemistry simulation to survey such a large biological system--in this case, a DNA fragment made up of 350 atoms. "With a system so big, one can't do this kind of work without a supercomputer. Fortunately, we had access to one of the world's 10 most powerful computers,"