How are chromosomes structured?

The simplest way to describe chromosome structure is as an X-shaped microscopic bit of genetic information that's part of DNA. However, this is not the only way that chromosomes can be structured, and new research that came out in 2013 calls the popularly accepted X-shape structure into question.

According to a September 2013 article in the scientific research publication "ScienceDaily," new research has shown that, when modeled in 3D, chromosomes are much more complex than the standard X shape. These intricate structures have folds and a variety of complex shapes. The X-shaped chromosome isn't nonexistent, however: this is the form a chromosome takes before it divides.