Science Article
Genetic Engineering in Mr. Chapman’s class 11-11-19
The MCHS AP Biology students have been studying how scientists are able to mutate certain organisms by inserting foreign genes. Most of the foods we eat are genetically modified organisms. It is almost impossible to avoid genetically modified foods. Bananas, corn, wheat, and most things we get from the garden come from genetically modified seeds.
Bacteria are very easy to mutate. A bacterium such as E. Coli has one circular chromosome and additional circular pieces of DNA called plasmids. In this experiment, we used an enzyme to open the plasmid in the bacteria, insert a gene from a jellyfish, and use another enzyme to close the plasmid. The bacteria were incubated over the weekend. The result was bacteria that now glowed under UV light. We were careful in this lab not to introduce foreign DNA into the ecosystem. All of the bacteria were destroyed with a bleach solution before discarding.