Obtaining DNA at home

Surprisingly, all the diversity of the living kingdom is due to the unique sequences of four nitrogenous bases. The nucleus of every cell of any living organism contains nucleic acid - DNA. This spiral-shaped molecule encodes all the necessary information to support life. Currently, scientists have deciphered the genomes of many organisms, including humans. This is a rather complex high-tech process.

But getting deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is not difficult at home. This is what we will do in this article.

Will need

So, for the experiment we will need:

Drinking or distilled water;
Salt;
Liquid soap;
Alcohol. We need it chilled, so we put it in the refrigerator.

From the dishes you need:

Disposable cup;
Spoon;
Test tube (sold in a pharmacy);
Pipette.

Important! The test tube must have a lid. A rubber piston from a twenty cc syringe is suitable for these purposes. You can remove it from the plastic part by prying it off with a screwdriver.

It fits tightly onto the neck of the test tube and closes it hermetically.

Experiment to obtain DNA

First, prepare the salt solution: add a spoonful of salt to a glass of water.

Now you need to rinse your mouth with this solution, running your tongue over your cheeks and gums. The mouth should be clean, not after lunch.

In this way, we collect cells with genetic material from the oral cavity into a solution. The salt causes them to clump together.

Pour the solution back into the glass.

Now pour some of the solution into the test tube.

And add a few drops of liquid soap. It destroys the cell membrane, releasing DNA from the cell nuclei.

Then, tilting the test tube approximately 45 degrees, add twenty drops of chilled alcohol so that it does not mix with the solution. Close the test tube and carefully turn it upside down 3-4 times.