Saturday DNA! Sessions

The Mystery of Anastasia

DNA Learning Center NYC at City Tech
Brooklyn, NY
Ages 10-13, no adult chaperone required, although parents are welcome to attend (must purchase ticket).

Join us at the DNALC NYC in Brooklyn to help solve one of history's most enduring mysteries!

In this interactive class, you'll learn how forensic anthropology, handwriting analysis, and finally DNA science were used to answer the question: What happened to the lost princess, Anastasia Romanov?

In this session, participants will:

• perform a computer-based lab;
• use forensic techniques to investigate evidence; and
• compare DNA sequences to determine identities.

Plasmid Manipulation

Regeneron DNA Learning Center
Sleepy Hollow, NY
Ages 14-adult, no adult chaperone required although parents are welcome to attend (must purchase their own ticket).

Plasmids are small pieces of bacterial DNA containing specialized genes that can help bacteria survive in adverse conditions. With molecular scissors called restriction enzymes, scientists can create synthetic plasmids that are used to genetically engineer bacteria to make human proteins such as insulin. Join us to explore how scientists cut and paste DNA molecules to create custom plasmids.

In this session, participants will:

• use restriction enzymes to digest plasmids;
• analyze plasmid restriction maps to predict the digestion results; and
• visualize the results through gel electrophoresis.

Swab to Sequence: What happens when you send off your DNA?

DNA Learning Center NYC at City Tech
Brooklyn, NY
Ages 16+

Join us at the DNALC NYC in Brooklyn to explore how genetic testing works.

If you’ve ever submitted or thought about submitting a DNA sample to companies like 23andMe®or Ancestry.com®, you’ve likely been excited by the opportunity to learn more about your family history or relatives, but how does some saliva in a tube get translated into family trees?

In this session, participants will:

• learn about how DNA is sequenced;
• use bioinformatics techniques to analyze DNA sequences across individuals*;
• explore how genetic testing companies build family trees;
• discuss the potential pros and cons of DNA testing, specifically through the case of the Golden State Killer.

*Note, we will NOT be sequencing participant DNA in this session.

ADEventures in Yeast Transformation ?

DNA Learning Center NYC at City Tech
Brooklyn, NY
Ages 14-18; no adult chaperones required for this session.

Join us to transform an auxotrophic strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker’s yeast) so it can grow without adenine in the environment!

You might use yeast at home to make bread, but did you know that yeast is also a powerful model organism in scientific research? As eukaryotes, yeast cells are more similar to human cells than you might think! Yeast have been used in the study of the cell cycle, DNA replication and repair, and even aging. Auxotrophic yeast strains lack the ability to produce certain nutrients. Scientists use these strains in plasmid transformations, introducing plasmids carrying genes that restore the missing function. Only yeast that successfully take up the plasmid will grow in selective conditions, enabling researchers to study specific traits.

In this session, participants will:

• learn about the budding yeast life cycle;
• transform an adenine auxotrophic strain of S. cerevisiae to restore the ability to produce adenine and grow on media lacking adenine; and
• discuss why yeast is a powerful model organism and learn about discoveries made using this tiny but useful organism.

Got Lactase?

Regeneron DNA Learning Center
Sleepy Hollow, NY
Ages 10-13, no adult chaperone required, although parents are welcome to attend (must purchase their own ticket).

Over 60% of humans worldwide are lactose intolerant. In humans, lactose intolerance is considered an ancestral trait because mammals usually stop producing the digestive enzyme after weaning off their mothers’ milk. Does this happen in humans too? Why, then, are some humans able to continue drinking milk after infancy? Join us to better understand the very interesting story of how a combination of genetics and culture has affected our evolution.

In this session, participants will:

• discuss the details of lactose intolerance, and how it affects different populations;
• use enzymes to digest lactose; and
• investigate the lactose levels of different dairy products.