How to extract DNA from anything living Just follow these 3 easy steps:    Detergent eNzymes (meat tenderizer)    Alcohol Anything living contains DNA. Put your DNA source in the blender, add enough water so that after 10 seconds of blending, the mush is about the consistency of thin pea soup.

Pour your thin pea-cell soup through a strainer into another container (like a beaker.) Add about 1/4 that amount of liquid Detergent stir gently. Add one spoonful of eNzymes and stir gently for 5 minutes.

Tilt the beaker and slowly pour an equal amount of rubbing alcohol down the side of the jar forming a layer on top of the cell scum. (Pretty soon you will see white stringy, snotty stuff rising up from the cell scum.)

The soap comes close to grease, it captures it, forming a Blending separated the pea cells…. Detergent does much more… The soap comes close to grease, it captures it, forming a greasy soapy ball.

When detergent comes close to the cell, it captures the lipids and proteins. what do you have now in your pea soup? The cell and nuclear membranes have been broken apart, as well as all of the organelle membranes. What’s left? proteins carbohydrates (sugars) DNA The DNA in the nuclei of all cells is molded, folded, and protected by proteins. By stirring the meat tenderizer for at least 5 minutes all of the proteins (or at least most of them) can be cut away from the DNA.

Why the meat tenderizer????? Enzymes are proteins that help chemical reactions happen more quickly. The enzyme we are using comes from Meat Tenderizer and cuts proteins. Exactly like a pair of scissors.

Why do two separate layers form when you pour in the rubbing alcohol? Alcohol is less dense than water and so it floats on top. The protein and grease parts find the bottom, watery layer the most comfortable place to hang out. DNA prefers to hang out in the top, alcohol layer. DNA is a long, stringy molecule that likes to clump together.

Define extraction. Explain what happened at each step. Why did group results vary? What did you learn?