DNA dictates how fruits and vegetables taste, smell and look and is in every cell of our food. You can isolate and see that genetic information. This event will have an online demonstration of isolating DNA from a fruit or vegetable. If you’d like to do this activity at home, we’ve provided a video (in English) of this activity and instructions in English and Spanish of how to do this at home with a few simple resources that should be available in most homes (ex. dish soap, salt, blender, baking soda, and more). The idea behind this exercise is to reinforce the idea that DNA is not a foreign substance; it is in almost everything we eat. This event will be presented in both Spanish (Hoy Cenamos ADN) and English at different times.
If you are interested in performing the DNA extraction experiment with common household materials, download the instructional handout.