We are in the midst of creating a science symposium for the Grade 7’s of our school. It involves the performing of a lab, presenting of information, and assessing of skills obtained. My partner and I are doing our project on the subject of Genes and DNA, and performing an experiment that will be extracting the actual DNA from strawberries using the scientific properties of dish soap, rubbing alcohol, and DNA.
We learned many interesting things while doing our research. A human body is made up of 50 000 000 000 000 cells that all function differently in our bodies. Inside cells are a nucleus which contains 99.9% of our genes. Genes are a part of long molecules in our bodies called DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid). If you lined up your entire DNA, it would be at least 6 feet in length. DNA is composed of sugar, phosphate, and 4 bases (Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine, and Guanin) which determine your genetic code. Genes determine how a cell functions and what traits it expresses. The molecules of DNA with your genes are organized into chromosomes; all species have different numbers of chromosomes. Interestingly, humans have two sets of 23, chimpanzees have two sets of 24, chickens have two sets of 39, and bananas have two sets of 11. It is also known that humans share 98.5% of their DNA with chimpanzees, and 99.5% with every other human. This made me realize how alike each person actually is, even though people usually focus on the differences. SNP’s are the imperfections in our base pairs of chromosomes that make us different from one another. It is a variation in base pairs, of Single Nucleotide Polymorphism. Sometimes a single base pair gets added, left out, or substituted. When a base pair gets substituted, this is called an SNP. There are around 10 million SNP’s in the human genome which account for the differences between everyone on Earth. They can affect our physical traits, how we acquire diseases, or how we respond to medication. The number of differences between your DNA and your friend’s DNA can tell you how closely you are related. Our observable traits are called phenotypes, and result from a combination of your genes and your environment. This interaction starts in the womb and continues through your life. Differences, for example, in height, are determined mostly by genes, but nutrition does have some effect. Weight is also determined by both genes, but more by your diet (environmental). It is less understood how genes determine your personality. Scientists are learning how SNP’s help to determine or affect your phenotype.
DNA is not only important to us because it makes us who we are, but it can also be studied by scientists, who can use the DNA in your body to help it function properly, to make new medicines, to genetically modify foods, or to figure out a suspect of a crime. This can be done through a process of DNA extraction. We will then be performing an experiment that will help with further understanding of what DNA actually is. In the experiment, the Grade 7's will be ablt to visibly see clumps of DNA that exist in strawberries and that contain all the genetic material essential to make a strawberry a strawberry. Strawberries from the grocery store will be used because they have 8 copies of each chromosome, so they are a great source of DNA. During this experiment, we are going to break open the cells of the strawberry and then separate out and clump together the DNA from the strawberry cells so that it is visible to the eye. In order to burst open the strawberry cells so that the DNA is released, we are going to be adding an extraction solution containing dishwashing liquid, salt, and water. Because DNA is not soluble in alcohol, the DNA strands will clump together so that we will be able to see it.
DNA is not only important to us because it makes us who we are, but it can also be studied by scientists, who can use the DNA in your body to help it function properly, to make new medicines, to genetically modify foods, or to figure out a suspect of a crime. This can be done through a process of DNA extraction. We will then be performing an experiment that will help with further understanding of what DNA actually is. In the experiment, the Grade 7's will be ablt to visibly see clumps of DNA that exist in strawberries and that contain all the genetic material essential to make a strawberry a strawberry. Strawberries from the grocery store will be used because they have 8 copies of each chromosome, so they are a great source of DNA. During this experiment, we are going to break open the cells of the strawberry and then separate out and clump together the DNA from the strawberry cells so that it is visible to the eye. In order to burst open the strawberry cells so that the DNA is released, we are going to be adding an extraction solution containing dishwashing liquid, salt, and water. Because DNA is not soluble in alcohol, the DNA strands will clump together so that we will be able to see it.
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