DNA Extraction

DNA is arguably one of the most mysterious and well designed molecules known to man. It is undeniably the molecule that determines all your natural characteristics. You are going to extract your own DNA, using only sodium chloride solution, washing up liquid and vodka! If you follow the method carefully you will directly see the stuff that makes you who you are. This experiment is from How to fossilise your hamster New Scientist 2007 Mick OHare Instructions 1. Vigorously swish salt solution round your mouth for about 30 seconds and then spit this into the test tube containing washing up liquid 2. Stir the salt solution-washing up liquid mixture. 3. Carefully pour chilled vodka down the side of the test tube. It is important this is done carefully so the vodka sits on top of the soap-spit mix. 4. Observe the test tube, taking care not to shake it. 5. You will see your DNA in the vodka. Questions about the method 1. The first thing you did was rinse your mouth with salt solution. What does this do? 2. You then spat the salt solution into the washing up liquid. The surfactant molecules break down the cell membrane so that the DNA could be released from the cell. Cell membranes are made up from a phospholipid bilayer (picture on the right). Use your knowledge of the structure of surfactant molecules to explain how they are able to break down the cell membrane. 3. The DNA comes out of the salt-soap mix and forms a solid (called a precipitate) in the vodka (ethanol solution). What does this tell you about the solubility of DNA in alcohol? 4. If you had just eaten a pork sandwich before carrying out this experiment in what way would this affect the results? Explain your answer. Questions about your DNA 5. Describe what your DNA looks like (from what you see in the test tube) 6. Why does it not look like normal pictures of DNA (such as the picture at the top)? 7. Compare your DNA with someone elses. Does it look different? 8. If you could see your DNA on a molecular level would it look different to someone elses DNA? If so, in what way would it be different? 9.

Amazing DNA facts: DNA has a width of approximately 2.0 x 10-11 m (20 angstroms) this is approximately 1/10,000th the width of an individual strand of hair. Individual DNA strands can only be seen through and electron microscope! In each tiny cell you have 2-3m of DNA (which is coiled then super coiled) There are approximately 2 x 1013 m of DNA in an average adult human (this distance is the distance to the sun and back 67 times) There are approximately 6 billion base pairs in the DNA of one cell The sequence of these base pairs contains a code that has all the information necessary to make you (except for any environmental characteristics such as scarsetc) DNA is the most compact information storage system known to man. http://hypertextbook.com