The document discusses the history and process of DNA replication. It describes how DNA was determined to be the genetic material and the discovery of its double helix structure by Watson and Crick using Rosalind Franklin's X-ray diffraction images. DNA replication begins at origins of replication and proceeds bidirectionally. The leading strand is synthesized continuously while the lagging strand is synthesized discontinuously in short segments that are later joined by ligase. Each new DNA molecule contains one original parental strand and one newly synthesized strand.