Liver and Onions: DNA Extraction from Animal and Plant Tissues

Abstract

This activity, which allows students to extract DNA from plant and animal cells, serves as a spectacular example of the complexity of biochemical structure and function and fits well with a discussion of nucleic acids, hydrogen bonding, genetic coding, and heredity. DNA extraction can also be used in conjunction with a discussion of polymers and their properties. This activity can be used to complement a diffraction experiment illustrating how the double helix structure of DNA was determined.