Splitting the Pea
March 6, 2011 @ 8:54 pm | Filed under: Fun Learning Stuff, Science
Jane takes a chemistry lab class once a week and last week she casually informed me that they had extracted DNA from split peas in class.
Me: Bwah?
Jane: Yep, with a blender.
Me: …
She told me how it worked and it sounded extremely cool and I asked for the directions. She found the experiment written up here, at the University of Utah’s Genetic Science Learning Center (but warned me, as I shall now warn you, that the background color is an assault on the eyes).
What you need:
Salt
Water
A small glass
A long toothpick or wooden stick
Detergent
A DNA source (split peas)
Contact lens solution
A blender
A measuring container
Rubbing alcohol
A test tube (optional)