Semiconservative replication

Semiconservative replication is the process by which DNA is replicated in all living cells. DNA replication involves separation (unwinding) of the two strands of the double helix by helicase, with each strand acting as a template for a new complementary strand, synthesized in opposite (antiparallel) directions. The process is called semiconservative because the replicated DNA molecule contains one parental strand and one newly synthesized strand . Barring any replication errors, the copies are usually identical to their parental DNA molecules. The DNA structure was deciphered by James D. Watson and Francis Crick in 1953, which suggested that each strand of the double helix would serve as a template for synthesis of a new strand. However, it was not known how newly synthesized strands and the parental strands were combined to form the double helical DNA molecules.