I paid $40 for a DNA extraction lab the first time I did the lab. At the time, other Bio teachers were using Everclear alcohol for their extractions. Guess what? You do NOT need expensive materials. Here are the instructions. I used dry, split peas. Really. Any type of detergent, dish liquid, or shampoo works. Any type of alcohol, even rubbing alcohol works. The key is to use fresh meat tenderizer; the enzyme important. My DNA extraction lab is inquiry-based. The kids use the lab instructions but compare one variable. For example, one group tests iodized salt vs. sea salt. Another groupe compares rubbing alcohol and ethanol. Another team compares Dawn and Ajax dish soap. The kids observe which produces more DNA. We’ve had the best results with Dawn dish detergent. Below are pix from lab. It helps to pulverize the pea solution in a blender. However, we’ve used a mortar and pestle successfully, too. The DNA are white strands—a bit underwhelming. You do NOT need test tubes; cups and kitchen utensils are fine.
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