Bio-Artist Adam Zaretsky and Hybrid DNA

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted July 19, 2007 in DNA Fun

Everyone’s talking about art and DNA this summer. Yesterday at Grand Arts, bio-artist Adam Zaretsky extracted DNA from some very unlikely sources:

• Cat excrement
• Human urine
• Hoof skin
• Pig’s eyeball

I hope they were wearing biohazard suits!

From The Star about his workshop – Hybrid DNA Isolation: A Hobbyist Workshop and an Exploration of the Unnamable:

The pungent mixture was then strained through cheesecloth into plastic pitchers, and dish soap was added. While waiting for the cells to lysis (disintegrate), Zaretsky pulled out a jar of topical papaya pills and started stomping them into a fine powder, to which he added liquid.

“After you stir the papaya solution, don’t mix it. Caress it,” Zaretsky said. “Stir it like you’re trying to get a second date.”

Cold ethanol is then poured in slowly, like “it’s your brother,” and after a few minutes: magic. Everyone has a little toothpick with a wet, sticky mass of DNA on it.

Zaretsky’s goal is to sex-up scientists and make give them a “wild, or dirty, or pervy” image. I think I’ll pass….

Tags: adam zaretsky, genetics, genes, dna, science, scientists

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4 Comments

Comment by David Bradley

2007-07-19 18:31:48

Pig’s eyeball and cat excrement. It sure beats the kiwi fruits they used to extract DNA from during Cambridge Science Week…

d

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Comment by Hsien

2007-07-19 18:43:53

Kiwi fruit is much more pleasant than pee and poop!

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Comment by David Bradley

2007-07-20 09:00:57

Indeed it certainly is. But make sure you remove that hairy skin first

db

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Comment by Hsien

2007-07-20 13:49:58

You just had to go there, didn’t you??

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