<P> In molecular biology, DNA replication is the biological process of producing two identical replicas of DNA from one original DNA molecule . This process occurs in all living organisms and is the basis for biological inheritance . The cell possesses the distinctive property of division, which makes replication of DNA essential . </P> <P> DNA is made up of a double helix of two complementary strands . During replication, these strands are separated . Each strand of the original DNA molecule then serves as a template for the production of its counterpart, a process referred to as semiconservative replication . As a result of semi-conservative replication, the new helix will be composed of an original DNA strand as well as a newly synthesized strand . Cellular proofreading and error - checking mechanisms ensure near perfect fidelity for DNA replication . </P> <P> In a cell, DNA replication begins at specific locations, or origins of replication, in the genome . Unwinding of DNA at the origin and synthesis of new strands, accommodated by an enzyme known as helicase, results in replication forks growing bi-directionally from the origin . A number of proteins are associated with the replication fork to help in the initiation and continuation of DNA synthesis . Most prominently, DNA polymerase synthesizes the new strands by adding nucleotides that complement each (template) strand . DNA replication occurs during the S - stage of interphase . </P> <P> DNA replication (DNA amplification) can also be performed in vitro (artificially, outside a cell). DNA polymerases isolated from cells and artificial DNA primers can be used to initiate DNA synthesis at known sequences in a template DNA molecule . Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), ligase chain reaction (LCR), and transcription - mediated amplification (TMA) are examples . </P>

Where does the process of dna replication occur
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