I assume the eye candy was an ultra sharp zoom into a single strand showing the double helix?

This is zoomed out and fuzzy, such that you see a bunch of growing strands...not the detail of just one.

And just as fuzzy white lines, given the relative size and techniques used to make it visible.

Here's the original paper: https://www.pdf-archive.com/2017/06/20/piis0092867417306347/...

It doesn't look like DNA models you are used to because a microscope that would give you that level of resolution does not exist.

Even in the best images that exist, all you are going to see are little bits that look like string.

I guess I'm just struggling to see how the animation maps to the DNA or how the scattering of dots becomes a double helix.