Tuesday, April 26, 2011

DNA extraction from onion @PSN 21stApril2011

I love what's available at PSN. For a minimal fee of RM5 per participant, a lab session can be organised. And what's even better, the lab staff were kids-orientated, patient, friendly, accommodating and they could work with the homeschool group that consisted of kids of varying ages.
Ean with his booklet. He insisted on having one when he saw it being given out.
Ean browsing through the booklet.
Waiting for further instructions.
Help was always at hand.
Han adding more chopped onions into his microtube using a tweezer.
Fai using a pestle to pound his onions into a mushy, bubbly pulp to break the onion's cell wall.
Ean squirting soap solution into his microtube with mushy onions to dissolve the cell wall and release the DNA.
The microtubes were then placed into a centrifuge machine for 10 minutes.
While waiting we made a DNA structure using foam and coloured straw.
The foam was punched in the middle of the lines that were drawn.
The straws that came in 4 different colours represent the 4 types of DNA bases. The bases are paired, so the straws were paired - red and blue; green and yellow. My head spun, I couldn't remember all this - what's the difference between DNA, chromosome and gene?
Me assisting Ean as he inserted the straws into the punched holes.
A DNA ladder
Ean trying to twist the DNA into a double helix structure.
Taadaaah! A DNA structure.
Han proudly showing me his DNA structure.
The microtubes were removed from the centrifuge. The onion bits had settled to the bottom. We were instructed to remove the clear solution at the top using a dropper and to transfer it into another microtube.
Alcohol (isopropanol was used) was added.
DNA precipitates out as a mucus-like white substance.
Fai's microtubes.
From left (clockwise): leftover onion mush, foam circles that were pinched out, Fai's DNA precipitate and Ean's DNA precipitate.

Ean placing the foam circles back into their holes.
It was a fun session. A good way to introduce science to the kids.

3 comments:

hafiz said...

bagus.. pendedahan awal untuk DNA, extraction untuk onion dah kira basic untuk pelajar biotechnology

:)

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