DNA Extraction from Wheat Germ

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DNA is the thread of life. Encoded in its genetic sequence is the information that makes each of us unique. This activity allows you to see long, stringy strands of DNA extracted from wheat germ. Extracting DNA from raw wheat germ may sound difficult, but this experiment can be performed with materials found in your local grocery or hardware stores. This is a simplified version of the same technique routinely used by research scientists to isolate DNA. [Activity is publicly available through a web crawler capture on Archive.org.]

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
10 to 30 minutes
Learning Time:
10 to 30 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
$1 - $5 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 8 - adult
Resource Types:
Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • wheat germ
  • distilled water
  • liquid hand soap
  • meat tenderizer
  • baking soda
  • plastic cup
  • alcohol (either 70% isopropanol or 95% denatured alcohol)
  • measuring spoons
  • mixing spoon
  • glass stirring rod
  • plastic dropper
  • 100 ml graduated cylinder
  • 15 ml plastic tube

Keywords

Subjects

  • Life Sciences
    • Heredity and Genetics
      • DNA Structure and Function

Informal Categories

  • Food and Cooking

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • read
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Access Rights:

  • Limited free access

By:

Rights:

  • , Science Museum of Minnesota, 2010

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