In 1953, Watson and Crick proposed the double helix DNA model based on X-ray diffraction studies of DNA photographs by Wilkins and Franklin. DNA has two polynucleotide strands that wind together to form a long, slender helical molecule. The strands run in opposite directions and are intertwined in a clockwise direction. The structure is stabilized by hydrogen bonds between the nitrogenous base pairs and the negative charge of the phosphate groups.