DNA Extraction: Look at your genes!

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Extract your DNA from your very own cells! First, learners swish salt water in their mouth to collect cheek cells and spit the water into a glass. Then, learners add liquid dishwashing detergent solution to the glass to break down the walls of the cell, and finally add rubbing alcohol to combine with the DNA so they can see it. The activity is on page 2 of the PDF. [Activity is publicly available through a web crawler capture on Archive.org.]

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
5 to 10 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
1 cent - $1 per student
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 18
Resource Types:
Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity
Language:
English

Materials List (per student)

  • Liquid dishwashing detergent (transparent) – 1 teaspoon
  • Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
  • Water – 1/2 cup
  • Rubbing alcohol (refrigerated) – 1 teaspoon
  • 2 glasses, labeled "A" and "B"

Keywords

Subjects

  • Engineering and Technology
    • Technology
      • Medical Technology
  • Life Sciences
    • Cells
      • Cell Structure and Function
    • Heredity and Genetics
      • DNA Structure and Function
  • Physical Sciences
    • Chemistry

Informal Categories

  • Science Festivals Activity

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • see color
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Includes alignment to state and/or national standards:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Rights:

Funding Source:

  • National Science Foundation, ESI-0206403