We already know the familiar double helix ladder that turns and replicates several million times a day within our chromosomes, but now a group of Harvard researchers are proud to announce to the world the discovery of a new shape, the hemihelix, which is rarely observed in nature, while they developed springs to support an imaging project inspired by bioluminescence.

The helices refer to any 3-D structure, akin to a corkscrew. The hemihelix is formed when the spiral makes an abrupt change in direction, what is called a chirality like a corkscrew or a Slinky toy, and hemihelices form when the direction in which the spiral turns—known as the chirality—changes periodically along the length of the spiral.