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Forensic Science Class Extracting DNA from Bananas

By Coonrod, Claire

March 18, 2022

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The Forensic Science class has been learning about DNA this past week and how forensic scientists might need to identify DNA for genetic testing, body identification, and analysis of forensic evidence. In their lab that they conducted this week - extracting DNA from a banana - students could readily see DNA with their naked eye when it was extracted from the cells of a banana. The complex structure itself is not visible, but as it unravels itself when coming out of the nucleus, the DNA makes such a large molecule that you can see it (as shown in the photos below). This gives the students some idea of how well it must be packed to fit in the nucleus.