The science group recently had some fun with a simple “kitchen” extraction for a first hand look at DNA from a banana.

Blended, extracted with salt and detergent solution, then precipitated with meths, the white, stringy, gloopy stuff appeared and could be hooked out of the mixture.
After this experiment Kate presented a review of the nature of the genetic code of DNA, present in the chromosomes inside the nuclei of most cells. The group learned how the code is transcribed into messenger RNA, which takes the code out of the nucleus to the cell machinery, which then translates it into new protein molecules. Different proteins are the main structural and functional components of all living cells. Protein molecules called enzymes drive all the chemical reactions of life. Finally, we watched a video animation that neatly summarised the whole process for us.

Knowledge of these processes can help us to understand how genetic defects can cause certain conditions such as cystic fibrosis and also to understand the various new gene technologies that are becoming available and are often featured in the news.

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