DNA from World's Oldest Human? WHAT?

Very exciting stuff! DNA was just found and sequenced from the world's oldest human! The DNA was taken from the nucleus of cells in the remains of a human leg bone.  Click on the link to read more from BBC News.  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25193442

ATTTACK OF THE 80FT DNA

Today we spent the day coloring and cutting to create the worlds largest DNA sequence.  Look at all of those spiffy nucleotides all paired together.  Adenine and Thymine, Guanine and Cytosine together forever!  

The Wonderful World of Genetics...and strawberries

Coming back from our glorious Thanksgiving holiday we transitioned from learning about cells to genetics! Our first day on the job we performed a simple experiment to extract (pull out) DNA from strawberries.  Our goal was to determine if strawberries are alive! We know that all living things are made of cells, so if we are able to extract DNA then they are in fact living.  This is so simple you can do it at home with a few ingredients from around the house. Try some other fruits and veggies! Here's a look at the fun we had.

Mushed strawberry with soapy water and meat tenderizer! YUM

Take a look at our notebook and scientific observations

Is that spit? Is it snot? NO! Its strawberry DNA!