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Has anyone extracted DNA and viewed it under a light microscope?
I recently seen that it is possible to do the extraction with "kitchen" chemistry but viewing it via a light microscope seems to be questionable. Some indicate it is possible with X1000 and others state it is not possible.
Thanks

Hi geo1

Could you give us some details about that "kitchen" methods for DNA extractions? , it sounds interesting.


Aboud DNA watching with light microscopes I think it's not possible, may be full chromosomes could be watched (I'm not sure), but DNA cannot.

I can only provide a few URLs:
Kiwi seed DNA:
Curriki - LabDNAExtraction

Tomato DNA:
http://apps.caes.uga.edu/sbof/main/l...ractTomato.pdf

Strawberry DNA:
http://www.gs.washington.edu/outreac...aprocedure.pdf

Chroococcidiopsis DNA:
A Method for DNA Extraction from the Desert Cyanobacterium Chroococcidiopsis and Its Application to Identification of ftsZ -- Billi et al. 64 (10): 4053 -- Applied and Environmental Microbiology
This one takes some time and they showed some SEM pics and is a wee bit more complicated. But, if I'm gonna grow a wooly mammoth for a pet I gotta starts somewhere! <);^))

and this one really excited me and will be going back:
Biology Interactive Exercises

Hope this starts something!

geo1 WOW, thanks for the link! Years ago (1960's), Scientific American mag in it's: 'amatuer Scientist section'...had similar:'kitchen lab exercise' to isolate bacterial phages from common house fly. Simple nutrient agar/ carpeted with bacterial 'lawn', house-fly dilute solution...sprinkled...obliterates surface 'lawn'...clear agar surface where the bacterial phage spread out in growth cycle at the expense of the bacteria!

The idea that you can so easily work with/ visualize site of ONE PHAGE PARTICLE...with simple: 'kitchen chemistry/biology! charlie guevara NJ,US

I have 'burried in my study', simple 'kitchen biology' protocol for : isolating bioluminescent bacteria from common store purchased FRESH FISH (not from 'frozen/freshfrozen'). They visibly glow in a dark room! charlie guevara NJ,US

Woow, I want to see that :-D, please give us details

Hi ajo , I'll 'dig it out' sometime this week. We just returned home from 3-day holiday! charlie guevara NJ,US

FWIW I believe I heard/read something about the use of fluorescing fish for some reason at the Univ. of Washington (I think that was it), at least that's my recollection, should you be interested in Googling up on it.

Hello geo-1 and group! The simple protocol was: buy some fresh fish..saltwater fish of a common type sold for human consumption.

The leave one piece(?one whole fish "5 length?) in a shallow dish, wet with a brine water puddle, covered by a bowl...for a few days in the fridge!

I must 'dig upstairs in my cluttered study'..I have the simple DIY technique , somewhere in a stack of papers! charlie guevara NJ,US

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Hi all! Have been off building ion detectors when lightning struck -figuratively. Has anyone tried introducing fluorescent material into specimens (as opposed to having the fish light up). I recently found that pink hi-liters glow under longwave UV and one can extract the liquid by squeezing the felt retainer after cracking open the plastic case.
Along the same lines light sticks contain a fluorescent dye which could be extracted by carefully cutting open the end away from the enclosed glass tube of H2O2 which if broken would taint the material to glow. (might be interesting to see glowing liquid around a specimen tho). Probably requires hypodermic needle to apply. Would be interesting to see how much intake a live specimen could consume then view the glowing intestine of mosquito etc. under black light.