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| DNA extraction from bananas |
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Have you ever thought of having the possibility of handling DNA? This is your chance to isolate DNA with your own hands.
DNA is a relatively stable molecule and standard protocols are available to extract it from different sources and to store it for long periods.
In a laboratory, the most common routine is to extract DNA from bacteria. It is possible, though, to purify large quantities of DNA from various tissues and organisms.
In this activity, you will aim at extracting DNA from a banana using a very simple protocol, that you could apply in your school laboratory or in the classroom or in every kitchen!
In the protocol, the purpose of the different steps or the reason for the addition of certain chemicals is explained. Try questioning the students beforehand, to help them figure out the rational behind each step.
This can be a stimulating activity for the students, as it will introduce them to the properties of the molecule of DNA and to the use of nucleic acid isolation procedures.
Good luck with the experiment!!!
Material:
Protocol [PDF] |
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