reply to post by scientist
This is really interesting. I think there are two potential candidates I can think of for what is causing this. The first is the creation of some kind
of compatible electromagnetic field from the arrangement of the molecules.
The other, which I would believe in more and maybe pursue as the answer had I the time (remember, when they conclude it, you heard it here first

),
is the Casimir effect. A real force created basically out of the "aether" which causes very small objects or surfaces with sub-10 nanometer spaces
between them exhibit attractive or other forces on each other.
Free energy proponents and zero point energy proponents will latch onto the Casimir effect as proof that energy can be extracted from the zero point
field. While we may, one day, discover a way to do so, I believe people who connect these things serve more to marginalize in may peoples' minds a
very real and important force that is not very well understood. Here's a description of what it actually is:
Casimir Effect
Here is someone doing research into shape dependent Casimir forces, getting more than just attraction when different shapes and textures are
involved:
physics.ucr.edu...
main point from above link
1.2. Experimental Achievements with Shape Dependent Casimir Forces including the Lateral Casimir Force: The Casimir force is theoretically known to
exhibit strong shape dependent properties. We have done the only experimental demonstration to date of the non-trivial boundary dependence of the
Casimir force. This work has also been published in Physical Review Letters in '99. Here we showed that one can dramatically alter the normal Casimir
force that attracts two parallel surfaces by introducing a very small periodic texture to the surfaces. We have now extended this work by
experimentally demonstrating that one can even get lateral (horizontal) Casimir forces which act parallel to the two surfaces used. We demonstrated it
between two surfaces imprinted with nanoscale sinusoidal corrugations. The lateral Casimir force measured was about a few hundred femto Newtons (10-13
N). With our demonstration of the lateral Casimir force, quantum vacuum activated lateral motion might be possible in silicon chip
micro-machines.
The Casimir force can also be manipulated by shapes and lenses to be a repulsive force. Some research on it here:
Scientists 'float' levitation theory
My hypothesis, which as far as I know is original, is that the specific nano-shapes (maybe even electromagnetic/light nano-lenses) created by the DNA
molecules create attractive or potentially even repulsive Casimir forces to DNA molecules with the appropriately complementary shapes. For any
researchers out there who would like to pursue this, feel free. I won't have time/energy/applied resources, but please come back and let me know your
results
Any opinions?
[edit on 7-2-2008 by lifestudent]