Science in the City

After attempting to extract DNA, it’s necessary to run a ‘check’ gel to verify that any product has survived the crushing, spinning, filtering and chemically washing of the plant sample. In a research lab, this involves the use of chemistry a little more carcinogenic than is usually accomodated in public schools. The chemicals used are mutagenic, and the visualization utilizes the kind of UV light that burns the skin if one works around it unprotected. Instead, we used a safe but inexact tool to look at the samples proceed a week prior. tinting is added to the sample and soaked to resolve if any DNA has been found. the initail results were not at all promising

But after a night in the ink, and a rinse in deionized water, I can say with some confidence that we indeed managed to get a DNA sample from the grasses brought from Tampa. Though another verification step away from school will be needed to stand up to the level of inquiry the project demands to move forward, we have passed another milestone in doing authentic research in a high school classroom.