Extracting your own Dna. Kitchen Science.
Created | Updated Oct 29, 2007
Oldberks Kitchen Science. Things that are safe to do in the home.
WHAAAAT? KITCHEN SCIENCE I hear someone say? (No this is not a repeat of the. "blow yourself up with Clarkson," sort of science as seen on TV.)
Extract your own DNA? What for?
DNA, or Deoxyribonucleic Acid, is the basic building block of life. It determines everything about you physically. In 1953, Watson and Crick unveiled their discoveries about DNA, the double helix which we now know as our genetic coding.
This is "home" science, stuff you can do at home with no real risk attached, so that when your kids ask, "What is DNA?", to maintain parental credibility you can show them an article in a book/magazine, or from a search engine about the double helix, and you can show them the "stuff" itself, their own DNA. This is a harmless procedure, unless you are foolish enough to drink the final mix of saltwater, DNA, detergent and Gin/Voka/White Rum! (and even then it will not kill you!)
THIS IS WHAT YOU DO.
1. Swill out your mouth with a saline solution for about 30 seconds. This is to collect the DNA contained in your saliva.
2. Spit contents of mouth into a glass with three (3) teaspoons of water and one teaspoon of washing up liquid. Transfering your DNA mix into the solution
3. Stir this mix for a couple of minutes, to allow the detergent to break down cell walls releasing the DNA contained in them.
4. Slowly pour very cold Alcohol, Gin or Vodka fresh from the freezer is good, carefully down the side of the glass allowing it to settle on top of the contents of the glass. Alcohol will react with the mixture and allow the DNA to seperate.
5. If you are lucky you will see a spindly white goo, maybe clumps of it if you are really careful, forming on top of the salt/detergent mixture, be patient it will happen slowly, this, "goo" is unique to you, it is your DNA, no one else has, "identical" DNA, unless you have an identical twin.
Now you can see it!
WHAAAAT? KITCHEN SCIENCE I hear someone say? (No this is not a repeat of the. "blow yourself up with Clarkson," sort of science as seen on TV.)
Extract your own DNA? What for?
DNA, or Deoxyribonucleic Acid, is the basic building block of life. It determines everything about you physically. In 1953, Watson and Crick unveiled their discoveries about DNA, the double helix which we now know as our genetic coding.
This is "home" science, stuff you can do at home with no real risk attached, so that when your kids ask, "What is DNA?", to maintain parental credibility you can show them an article in a book/magazine, or from a search engine about the double helix, and you can show them the "stuff" itself, their own DNA. This is a harmless procedure, unless you are foolish enough to drink the final mix of saltwater, DNA, detergent and Gin/Voka/White Rum! (and even then it will not kill you!)
THIS IS WHAT YOU DO.
1. Swill out your mouth with a saline solution for about 30 seconds. This is to collect the DNA contained in your saliva.
2. Spit contents of mouth into a glass with three (3) teaspoons of water and one teaspoon of washing up liquid. Transfering your DNA mix into the solution
3. Stir this mix for a couple of minutes, to allow the detergent to break down cell walls releasing the DNA contained in them.
4. Slowly pour very cold Alcohol, Gin or Vodka fresh from the freezer is good, carefully down the side of the glass allowing it to settle on top of the contents of the glass. Alcohol will react with the mixture and allow the DNA to seperate.
5. If you are lucky you will see a spindly white goo, maybe clumps of it if you are really careful, forming on top of the salt/detergent mixture, be patient it will happen slowly, this, "goo" is unique to you, it is your DNA, no one else has, "identical" DNA, unless you have an identical twin.
Now you can see it!
