Intro Bio Class Extracts DNA with CSI
The students took a first-hand look at the building blocks of life in today’s CSI lab for the Sophomore Intro Biology class. CSI, also known as the Community School Initiative, is a project led by Johns Hopkins University student volunteers courtesy of the JHU Center for Social Concern. The Intro Biology class has been learning about DNA, the material inside of our cells that determine how our body looks and functions. In this lab, CSI led the students in extracting DNA from strawberries and bananas, a surprisingly simple procedure. Using dish detergent to break up the fruits’ cell walls, they did an extraction with isopropyl alcohol. This allowed them to visualize the DNA.
Ms. Rebecca said, “laboratory scientists do experiments like this every day (although usually with animal cells instead of fruit). Once they isolate the DNA, they can sequence it to study differences in the DNA of different people.” Studying differences in DNA allows scientists to find the changes in DNA that lead to diseases, and ways to fight these diseases. This was CSI’s first lab of the year with the Intro Biology students, and we look forward to more as the year goes on.