550 students set Guinness record:

550 students of GD Goenka Public School created a Guinness World Record for the maximum number of people conducting a DNA isolation experiment. They achieved this feat at the India International Science Festival 2018 in Lucknow. The students conducted an experiment on a banana. “We set the world record by our continuous efforts and teachers helped us a lot”, said a student. The isolation experiment is done by extracting the DNA for fruit’s cell.

Mashing the banana exposes a greater surface area from which to extract the DNA. The liquid soap is added to help break down cell membranes to release the DNA. The filtration step (pouring the mixture through the strainer) allows for the collection of the DNA and other cellular substances. The precipitation step (pouring the cold alcohol down the side of the glass) allows the DNA to separate from other cellular substances. Finally, the DNA is removed from the solution by extraction with the toothpicks.