DNA Experiment

[skier23]

I want to do an experiment with DNA. I was thinking of comparing Fruit and vegetable DNA and possibly hair DNA, but I don't have a question that I'm trying to answer. I am doing this for a science fair and we need a lot of data out of it so any suggestions?

[deleted-168372]

If you are interested in the DNA of fruits and vegetables, there are several experiments that allow one to extract DNA using common household chemicals. Science Buddies offers an experiment that allows a person to extract the DNA from strawberries. DNA is a blueprint for everything that occurs inside the cell of an organism and it allows an organism to contain a certain set of genetic material that makes it unique to other organisms. Scientists use DNA for several different reasons, from developing new medicines, to modifying foods to enhance their quality. I would say a good way to approach your experiment would be to ask "How do scientists extract DNA from living things, and in what ways could this extraction be beneficial?" This topic would let you perform your own DNA extraction and allow you to explore the different reasons why scientists choose to extract DNA from living things.

[skier23]

Thanks for the help grai! i want something that will really wow the judges I guess. Something not usually thought of...

[deleted-168372]

If you are really interested in "wowing" the judges, a more unique experiment for your DNA project could be to recreate a crime scene. In crime scenes, there are DNA analysts who take any evidence that might contain DNA of the suspects such as saliva, hair, blood, or fingerprints. You could create a crime scene in which some saliva (because that it fairly easy to extract) was left and show that DNA extraction was a vital process in finding the culprit of the crime. This would be a much more creative process than just simply extracting DNA from a strawberry because this experiment is more relevant to real-world problems.