DNA experiment captivates Intro to Bio students
Don’t tell Count Chocula, but Julie Smith’s Introduction to Biology course appears to be cooking up a real-life Frankenberry.
Ok, not really. What they really were doing earlier this week was separating out some strawberry DNA.
In the experiment, Smith’s students crushed up some strawberries, treated the resultant mush with detergent to help break up the cell membranes, then added alcohol to isolate the berries’ DNA.
The students transferred the resultant solution into test tubes, then watched intently as the DNA began separating from the solution, forming a white substance that divided two levels of solution in their test tubes. The newly-separated DNA even began forming what looks like the iconic DNA helix.
As if that weren’t enough, all those pulverized strawberries make the room smell nice, too.
