10 wild sample types you can extract DNA from

This is bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S. Just like your brain on science. Like if you think about that famous work ofart: The banana duct taped to the wall. And instead of wanting to rip it out to eat it, you want to rip it out tosequence its DNA...Then, explore how to get nucleic acids out of this and other uncommon sample types.​

• Insect exoskeletons – use specialized lysis buffers for chitin; work with kits for low-yield samples​
• Preserved museum specimens – Expect degraded, fragmented nucleic acids – use ancient DNA protocols and avoid contamination during handling​
• Chewing gum – use forensic-grade extraction kits​
• Dry plant seeds – use ancient DNA protocols; consider extending lysis and elution incubation time to improve recovery​
• Fossilized poop – use ancient DNA protocols that remove inhibitors and maximize recovery of degraded DNA​
• Fly guts – If looking for nucleic acids that the fly picked up, apply a host-depletion step to enrich non-fly DNA​
• Parchment manuscripts – to analyze nucleic acids from animals or people who handled these, use kits well-suited to recovering short, degraded DNA fragments and prepare yourself for low yields​
• Spider webs – apply an extraction protocol suitable for low-biomass samples, such as those designed for environmental DNA (eDNA); include a negative control to check for reagent or handling contamination​
• Cave sediment – to analyze nucleic acids from long-dead animals or humans, use a soil extraction kit that is optimized for inhibitor removal​
• Bananas (and other fruits) – use ripe, fresh bananas (so the museum one might already be disqualified) to decrease the chance of degradation; use kits designed for plant or tough tissue within hibitor removal, as fruits contain PCR-inhibiting polysaccharides and polyphenols

And then, after a job well done, still don’t think about eating the banana. No eating the samples!​

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