🍓 Strawberry DNA Extraction Lab

Follow the real steps scientists use to pull visible DNA out of a strawberry — no expensive equipment needed. Click through each step and watch what happens inside the tube.

SimpleStep-by-step walkthrough of the extraction. 🔬 Try the Advanced Simulation → 🎓 Upper Grades Lab →
🧪 The Extraction
📖 What's Happening
Strawberries are a great source for a DNA lab — each cell has 8 copies of its chromosomes (most living things only have 2), so there's plenty of DNA to see. Click a step on the left to begin, and this panel will explain the science behind it.
Key Concept

DNA is packed inside every cell's nucleus. To see it with the naked eye, we need to break open millions of cells at once and separate the DNA from everything else in the cell.

    Advanced

    🔬 DNA Yield Optimizer

    Now go beyond the steps: adjust real extraction variables, run trials, and see how each choice changes how much DNA you actually pull out — just like a scientist optimizing a lab protocol.

    ⚙️ Extraction Variables
    Detergent (dish soap)10 mL
    Salt (NaCl)5 g
    Extraction Temperature20 °C
    Alcohol Volume30 mL
    Alcohol Type
    🧫 Simulated Test Tube
    Estimated DNA Yield — mg
    TrialDetergentSaltTempAlcoholYield
    Run a trial to log data
    Why This Matters

    Every variable here has a sweet spot. Too little detergent leaves membranes intact; too much can shred the DNA itself. Try to find the combination that maximizes yield.

    ↑ Back to the Simple Simulation
    🔊 Read Aloud 🌐 Language: | — ELL & SPED read-aloud