2. In order to study our genes, scientists must extract the DNA from human tissue. Would you expect the method of DNA extraction we used for the strawberry to be the same for human DNA? Yes, in a multicellular organism (such as a human or a strawberry), all cells contain the same DNA.

Is Strawberry DNA the same as human DNA?

Each little piece of a living thing, known as a cell, has DNA in it. In humans each of these cells have 2 copies of the DNA, but in strawberries each of these have 8 copies of the DNA (scientists call this octoploid). That means strawberries have 4 times as many copies of DNA as humans, making it 4 times easier to see!

Why are strawberries a good option for extracting DNA as compared to human cheek cells?

Ripe strawberries are an excellent source for extracting DNA because they are easy to pulverize and contain enzymes called pectinases and cellulases that help to break down cell walls. And most important, strawberries have eight copies of each chromosome (they are octoploid), so there is a lot of DNA to isolate.

How would the DNA extraction of bananas and strawberries compare to the DNA extraction of humans?

Well, fruits are also living organisms. All plants, animals, and even microorganisms have DNA, and in this experiment the DNA will be extracted from bananas and strawberries. Humans, DNA-wise, only differ from one another by 0.1%, so in that small 0.1% lies all of the human diversity on earth.

Why would it make sense that the process of extracting strawberry DNA is similar to the process for extracting human DNA?

1) Strawberries are soft and easy to pulverize or smash 2) Strawberries yield way more DNA than other fruits because they are octoploid, meaning that they have eight copies of each type of DNA chromosome. Human cells for example are generally diploid, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes.

Why do strawberries have more DNA than humans?

Strawberries yield more DNA than any other fruit because they have eight copies of each type of chromosome. The long, thick fibers of DNA store the information for the functioning of the chemistry of life. DNA is present in every cell of plants and animals. A buffer solution will be used to break up the strawberry.

Do strawberries have more DNA than bananas?

Strawberries have large genomes; they are octoploid, which means they have eight of each type of chromosome in each cell. Thus, strawberries are an exceptional fruit to use in DNA extraction labs and strawberries yield more DNA than any other fruit (i.e. banana, kiwi, etc.).

Can you eat strawberry DNA?

You can extract DNA from fresh strawberries. I wouldn’t eat the DNA alone though. When wet it is slimy and when dry it looks like cotton wool. But when mixed with the other components of strawberries it is undetectable and harmless, and strawberries taste great as they are.

What does strawberry DNA taste like?

Chemist NileRed extracted some DNA using food safe ingredients, then dried it and tasted it so we don’t have to. He found it to be salty and slimy after sitting in his mouth for as long as he could stand it. Conclusion: strawberry DNA is best eaten accompanied by the rest of the strawberry.

How does strawberry DNA extraction work?

When you added the salt and detergent mixture to the smashed strawberries, the detergent helped lyse (pop open) the strawberry cells, releasing the DNA into solution, whereas the salt helped create an environment where the different DNA strands could gather and clump, making it easier for you to see them.

How much DNA do humans share with strawberries?

You may be surprised to learn that 60 percent of the DNA present in strawberries is also present in humans.

Do strawberries have more chromosomes than humans?

Strawberries are octoploid, which means that have 8 copies of each chromosome. Remember that humans are diploid, we have two copies of each chromosome. Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes, for a total of 46. Strawberries have 7 chromosomes, but they are octoploid.

Why is it easy to extract DNA from strawberries?

Why use strawberries? Strawberries are octoploid, meaning that their cells each have eight duplicate copies of each chromosome. This gives the cells a lot of DNA, which means it is easier to extract a large amount of DNA that is visible to the naked eye.

How is strawberry DNA extraction useful to human geneticists?

While other fruits are soft and just as easy to pulverize, strawberries are the perfect choice for a DNA extraction lab for two very good reasons: (1) they yield way more DNA than other fruits, and (2) they are octoploid, meaning that they have eight copies of each type of DNA chromosome.

What does cold alcohol do in DNA extraction?

It’s important to use cold alcohol because it allows a larger amount of DNA to be extracted. If the alcohol is too warm, it may cause the DNA to denature [bold], or break down. During centrifugation, the DNA condenses into a pellet.