Crick worked out that DNA IS DOUBLE Helix like a twisted staircase The two sugar-phosphate make up the sides and the base pairs make up the rungs or steps of the twisted staircase. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is copied during INTERPHASE prior to mitosis and meiosis. The structure of the DNA provides a mechanism for making accurate copies of the molecule. The process of making copies of DNA is called REPLICATION.