How to extract DNA at home How to extract DNA at home.
Edward Palonek’s Easy Guide to Extracting DNA
You can use just about any plants. In this experiment, I will use spinach. For a beginner plant use something simple and easy to obtain. By no means DNA may seem like a complex subject but these experiments require no experience. Steps are easy to follow and please feel free to post your success stories.
Equipment required: Blender
Mix spinach with water and salt in a blender to split spinach cells from each other. You’ll end up with a spinach soup.
½ cup of spinach, about 100ml
1/8 teaspoon table salt, 1ml
1 cup cold water. Please try not too use tap water. (Filtered is the best)
Blend for 20 to 25 seconds.
Then pour our spinach soup into a measuring cup. Add 30ml of liquid detergent, any brand. 30ml is about two tablespoons. Mix them together for about 30 seconds. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes.
Pour the mixture into small glass containers. Put in each container about 1/3 of the mixture. Then put a pinch of enzymes to each test tube and stir slowly. If you stir too hard, you’ll break up the DNA. Use meat tenderizer for enzymes. If you can’t find tenderizer, try using pineapple juice or contact lens cleaning solution.
Tilt your test tube and slowly pour rubbing alcohol 75-95% Isopropyl or Ethyl alcohol into the tube down the side. It will form a layer on top of the mixture. Fill the container with equal amount of alcohol vs the mixture. The DNA will form on the alcohol layer from the spinach mixture. Try a wooden stick or other hook to draw the DNA into the alcohol.
DNA is made of a molecule that likes to clump together with other molecules. So you will find it on the top layer with the alcohol. The dirt, protein and other stuff will be on the bottom.
You have now completed the DNA extraction.
Carefully handle the DNA. You can extract DNA from just about any and all plants.
© Copyright 2008 Edward Palonek. Canada. All Rights Reserved.
Palonek Guide to DNA Manipulation Resumes DNA and RNA are so interpolated and the mechanisms are not completely understood. However I would like to take a different stab at it with the idea of 2 bit language for programming DNA. In relations I believe that we may be missing more then Mother Nature reveals. For example we now know that on the atomic scale each atom may not be exactly the same, to further complicate that add strings, quarks, and micro black holes and you got a soup that will take supercomputers a very long time to stir into meaningful information. So instead let’s focus on the simple genetic engineering with 2 Bit language. Back in 2007 there was an interesting conference that which reveals in simple terms what all the fuss is about.
With the fantastic advent of new technology now it is becoming more affordable and main stream for the average garage experiments to be carried out by anyone, including you.
Also stay tuned for a short report on DNA hacking and the easily available equipment that can be purchased for such purposes.
Edward Palonek
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