This week in Science Club, students were trainee molecular biologists. Sixth form scientists supported students to successfully extract DNA from strawberries. They discovered that their extractions looked like snot.
Strawberry DNA looks like snot because the DNA molecules are long chains that clump together when alcohol is added, making them visible as a stringy, white, and gooey substance. This "clumping" is called precipitation, and the large number of DNA copies from the strawberry's multiple chromosomes makes the clump large enough to see with the naked eye.
Students will learn more about precipitation reactions and DNA during GCSE biology and chemistry.