The process known as "Gel Electrophoresis" sounds complicated and daunting and way too advanced for high school freshman to comprehend. Not to worry, while the name seems scary and very "Star Trek" the process of Gel Electrophoresis isn't too much to handle. The Layman's explanation for gel electrophoresis is separating DNA into fragments, arranging the fragments by size, and analyzing the results. Why would scientists do this? Isn't it a pain to separate tiny DNA into even tinier pieces? This process is used frequently in forensics; a detective or CSI will collect a sample of DNA from a crime scene (like hair or blood) and send it to a lab to be analyzed. The lab worker will take the sample and see if it matches with the potential Suspects' DNA to find the felon. The function is easy enough to understand, but the science is where it gets more complicated. In order to separate the DNA from the crime scene into fragments, the scientist puts it into the Electrophoresis apparatus, pictured below.
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| Vincour, Jeffrey M. Gel Electrophoresis Apparatus. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 21 Apr. 2006. Web. 13 Jan. 2016. |
A special gel ,with the help of a buffer, is added to the apparatus which is then plugged in to start the electrical current. The current combined with the gel separates the DNA sample(s) by charge and size. The positively charged DNA moves towards the negative side and vice versa. The results can be analyzed using a UV light and gel imaging. In forensics, scientists analyze which DNA fragments match. In the image below, you can tell that the DNA match is 1 and 6 because of their similar arrangement.
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| Alaska BioPrep. Gel Electrophoresis DNA sample. Digital image. Alaska BioPREP Virtual Textbook. University of Alaska Fairbanks, n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2016. |
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