That's right! DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is sometimes refereed to as the "blueprint of life" and is inside every living organism. In organisms like plants and animals, DNA is long and string-like and is tightly coiled in the organism's nucleus. To separate DNA from a nucleus you must break the cells of an organism apart, filter out larger pieces of cell parts and collect the remaining liquid while adding chemicals like salt and alcohol to separate the DNA. Since performing something like this on human cells could be a little gruesome (not to mention painful!) why not try it on a strawberry?
With just 3 strawberries, measuring spoons,two measuring cups, a cone-shaped coffee filter, a plastic zip-lock bag, some small clear cups, laundry detergent (liquid or powder), ice cubes, two big bowls, a timer, salt and ice-cold rubbing alcohol, you're kitchen will be transformed into your very own laboratory and you'll be checking out DNA in no time.
For the entire experiment along with several other at-home experiments, visit The Kitchen Pantry Scientist's website.
