AROUND CAMPUS
Ant DNA
Saint David ’ s partnership with the DNA Learning Center of Cold Spring Harbor continued unabated . As part of this study , teachers led a field trip to Central Park where eighth graders observed and collected ants for a biodiversity survey . The boys isolated DNA from an ant specimen and used PCR reactions to target a particular gene and make millions of copies of just that one section of DNA . The PCR products were sent to an offsite genetics lab where the DNA for that one gene was sequenced . Boys received the genomic data and , using bioinformatics software , compared that information against millions of known sequences for that gene , to identify the species of their sample ant . They analyzed and mapped their results , looking for trends and patterns .
52 • Saint David ’ s Magazine