. All known living organisms use genetic information in their cell growth and development, division, and function – and DNA is responsible for encoding that information. Structurally, DNA is a double helix (much like a spiral staircase), and each step in the chain is part of a long code that conveys genetic information.
Every one of your cells contains DNA, the molecular blueprint that makes you you. Accessing that blueprint may seem like a job for scientists. But extracting DNA from your cells is actually surprisingly simple .
Despite its exotic-sounding name, DNA is ubiquitous - it can be found in every cell of every living thing and almost everywhere on the planet. Nonetheless, we rarely come face-to-face with the molecule itself - and it's not because DNA is difficult to find or isolate! In this instructable, we'll show you how to isolate your own DNA with little more than some dish soap, table salt, high-proof alcohol, a shot glass, and a bit of your own saliva.It only takes a couple of minutes, and after you've isolated your own DNA, you can either drink it back down in a tasty "DNA shot" (great party trick) or better yet, purify it further for more analysis*.
Mac Cowell, an advocate for open-source biotechnology, created a set of simple instructions that lets anyone isolate her own DNA in mere minutes. The rough-and-ready procedure uses basic kitchen supplies, including the best possible container: a shot glass. This DIY process won't create the cleanest sample, but avid biohackers can purify the DNA after it's extracted. Once you have a pure sample, you can try sorting the DNA fragments by size or building a DIY DNA-copying machine.

Materials + Tools