DNA Science Fair Projects

Nothing will help you and your children understand DNA like DNA Science Fair Projects.

Can DNA be seen to the naked eye?

Materials you need are: Knife, 3 onions cooking (spanish or yellow), blender, measuring cup, warm water, measuring spoons, salt, small bowl, colorless liquid soap, toothpick, small strainer, coffee filter paper, small glass, meat tenderizer, rubbing alcohol, flashlight and a magnifying glass.

1. Peel and chop onion and put into blender with 1/4 cup warm water and a teaspoon of salt. Mix until smooth.

2. Put that into bowl then add 1/4 cup liquid soap. Set for 5 minutes stirring with toothpick to prevent foam.

3. Line your strainer with coffee filter and place over small glass. Put your mixture into the strainer. Allow it to drip in the cup until there is at least one tablespoon of liquid.

4. Add 1/8 of a teaspoon of the meat tenderizer and mix with a toothpick for 5 minutes.

5. Slowly pour rubbing alcohol into the mixture so that the volume is doubled.

6. Shine a light on the mixture and watch from the side. Strands of DNA should rise up from the cell debris into the alcohol layer. If you stir gently, the strands will gather together.

7. After a few hours check to see what has happened to the DNA.

The best DNA Science Fair Projects are DNA models. It is the easiest way to learn the elements of a molecule.

One example would be a double helix model, the shape of DNA. To construct this one you can use these materials; About 100 Styrofoam balls, 75 toothpicks, wooden or metal laboratory stand, brushes to paint the balls, and other additional material such as paint, glue and string.

1. Decide what colors you want to use for small molecules forming each large DNA molecule. Paint all the balls and let them dry.

2. Assemble your stand, wooden is preferred because it is lighter in weight.

3. Start from the base and connect molecules to each other using toothpicks. Large DNA molecule must wrap around the stand's column.

4. For the 1st row make a pair of G-C (guanine - cytosine). Add the phosphates to the backbone and then assemble the second row that again can be C-G or A-T (adenine-thymine).

5. Continue this ladder until you run out of balls.

 

 

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DNA Science Fair Projects - back to How DNA Testing is Done?