The video provides a clear, step-by-step guide to a complex scientific process, making it educational and engaging. The creator's expertise and the use of a Dremel tool for a relatable, albeit messy, task likely contributed to its shareability.
Summary
Dr. Beth Shapiro demonstrates the correct method for extracting ancient DNA from a bone. She outlines six steps, starting with choosing a specimen and ending with bagging and tagging the sample for further analysis.
Structure
1Introduction to DNA extraction
2Step 1: Choose your specimen
3Step 2: Clean station, clean results
4Step 3: Right tool, right spot
Original caption
Trying to pull DNA from a bone and low-key guessing how to do it? Yeah… don’t. Learn from a professional. Dr. Beth Shapiro walks through the real first steps, from clean technique to tool choice to why smell actually matters.
More from @colossal
More breakout videos from this creator.
5
Step 4: Polish before you plunder
6Step 5: Secure the sample
7Step 6: Bag it and tag it
Product placement
Vitamix: a blender that acts to blend ingredients. Removing it would change what happens in the video.
Dremel: a rotary tool that acts to grind and polish bone. Removing it would change what happens in the video.
Reynolds Wrap: aluminum foil that appears as a surface to work on. Removing it would not change what happens in the video.
Colossal: a company logo that appears on the creator's lab coat. Removing it would not change what happens in the video.
On-screen text
STEP 1:
Choose Your Specimen
STEP 2:
Clean Station, Clean Results
STEP 3:
Right Tool, Right Spot
STEP 4:
Polish Before You Plunder
STEP 5:
Secure the Sample
STEP 6:
Bag It and Tag It
WOW!
SO COOL!
SHE'S A PRO!
GET THAT ANCIENT DNA THE RIGHT WAY
WITH DR. BETH
THE QUICK AND EASY WAY
Transcript
Are you trying to extract ancient DNA the wrong way? Are your tools lacking what it takes to get the job done? Are you at your wit's end and just trying anything at this point? Introducing, get that ancient DNA the right way. The quick and easy way to get that ancient DNA. With Dr. Beth. The quick and easy way. Step 1: Choose Your Specimen. The first step is to choose your specimen. You want to extract DNA from. Today, I have this cattle jaw. It's been sitting outside in Texas, so it's not going to be very well preserved. But any bone that you can find will probably work. You see that it has bone, has a little bit of tissue and it's even got some teeth. They'll be DNA in any one of those elements because this is an ancient DNA. But I'm going to try the bone itself because that's likely to be pretty well preserved here. I'm going to set myself up for success. It's going to make a lot of noise and it's going to make a bit of a mess. So make sure the surface is clean. Step 2: Clean Station, Clean Results. Put down some foil. Put on some gloves so that I don't get any more human DNA on there. I can use any type of drill or chisel. I'm going to use this Dremel tool because it's pretty fast. I have in my life drilled holes in thousands of bones. So I can consider myself a bit of an expert. Step 3: Right Tool, Right Spot. I'm going to use a diamond cutting disc. I'm going to use it because they're pretty sturdy. Sometimes they break, then they go flying up into your glasses. So you should probably wear safety glasses too. Worker's angle grinder blade snaps and gets stuck in safety glasses. So, I'm going to start by cleaning off the surface with the Dremel. You can see how much cleaner it is. Wow! Get all that dirt right off the surface. Can you smell that? That smells like DNA. I don't know how I can tell you that I know that, but it smells like organic material and it's definitely going to have DNA in it. Step 4: Polish Before You Plunder. I'm going to do this slowly so it doesn't get too hot. Also will damage the DNA. So I'm going to dust a layer off of this bone to try to clean it of any extra DNA. Step 5: Secure the Sample. You can see how much cleaner it is. Wow! So cool! So precise! She's a pro! All right, so now I'm going to take this sample. I'm going to take it with me to the genomics lab at the University of California, Santa Cruz. And there we will process the sample. We will grind it up into a really fine powder. And then we will dissolve away all of this stuff that isn't DNA. And we will take that DNA and sequence it. And we'll know a lot about this particular individual. Step 6: Bag It and Tag It. Label that bag. Otherwise you're going to forget. So now that I have this sample, I'm going to take it with me to the genomics lab at the University of California, Santa Cruz. And there we will process the sample. We will grind it up into a really fine powder. And then we will dissolve away all of this stuff that isn't DNA. And we will take that DNA and sequence it. And we'll know a lot about this particular individual. So now you know the right way to start off your ancient DNA extractions. You've got your bone. Happy extracting, everybody.
