DNA extraction - Science Fun Night at the Museum of the Rockies

TBI faculty member, Anneke Metz, lead three hands-on classes of DNA extraction at Science Fun Night at the Museum of the Rockies.  Students were from all over Montana and had traveled to Bozeman for Montana’s 23rd Science Olympiad competition hosted at Montana State University. The students learned how to collect and precipitate their very own DNA!  This lesson plan takes about 40 minutes to complete and uses everyday materials.  DNA contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all living organisms.  Every cell in every organism has a copy of this essential information.  Within the human body there are 50-100 trillion cells, and each cell contains a micro-thin strand of DNA that is approximately 6 feet long.  If we straighten out and line up all the DNA end to end of  just one human, that DNA would be long enough to stretch to the sun and back 610 times!  Advancements in technology have enabled DNA sequencing to be used to identify individuals, and understand genetic relatedness among individuals as well as populations.  As the DNA sequence is revealed and compared across many species, we realize that all species have a common ancestor on the “Tree of Life”. 



TBI faculty member , Anneke Metz , enhances student experiences at Montana’s 23rd annual Science Olympiad in Bozeman