How To Extract DNA From Anything Living
Find something that contains DNA also known as the blueprint for life. Remember everything living contains DNA.
For this experiment, we will use green split peas.
You can also use:
- Spinach
- Strawberries
- Broccoli
Here are the steps!
Put in a blender:
- 1/2 cup of split peas (100ml)
- 1/8 teaspoon table salt (less than 1ml)
- 1 cup cold water (200ml)
Blend on high for 15 seconds. The blender separates the pea cells from each other. You basically get a thin pea-cell soup.
Then pour the thin pea-cell soup through a strainer into another bowl.
Add 2 tablespoons liquid detergent (about 30ml) and mix. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes.
Pour the mixture into test tubes or other small glass containers, each about 1/3 full.
Add a pinch of enzymes (meat tenderizer or pineapple juice or contact lens cleaning solution) to each test tube and stir gently. Be careful! If you stir too hard. You can break up the DNA, making it harder to see!
Tilt your test tube and slowly pour 70-95% alcohol (70-95% into the tube down the side so that it forms a layer on top of the pea mixture. Pour until you have about the same amount of alcohol in the tube as pea mixture.
Alcohol is less dense than water, so it floats on top. Look for clumps of white stringy stuff where the water and alcohol layers meet.
DNA is the long, stringy molecule. The salt that you added in step one helps it stick together. So what you see are clumps of tangled DNA molecules!
You can use a wooden stick or a straw to collect the DNA. If you want to save your DNA, you can transfer it to a small container filled with alcohol.
DNA is extracted from human cells for a variety of reasons. With a pure sample of DNA you can test a newborn for a genetic disease, analyze forensic evidence, or study a gene involved in cancer. Try this virtual laboratory to perform a cheek swab and extract DNA from human cells.
https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/labs/extraction/
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