š§¬ CRISPR Chaos: Our Wild At-Home Gene Editing Adventure
A little while ago, my brother, my dad, and I decided to take on a huge science challenge ā doing a CRISPR lab at home. We were excited to try gene editing outside of a traditional lab. It sounded simple at firstā¦ but it quickly turned into one wild science adventure š¬. We were attempting to use CRISPR Gene Editing, a technology scientists use to edit DNA.
š§ Fun Fact: CRISPR was discovered by studying how bacteria defend themselves from viruses. Scientists realized they could use the same system to edit genes in plants, animals, and even human cells! Learn more: https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/CRISPR-Fact-Sheet
š§« Step 1: Making the Plates
We started by making agar plates, which are like tiny nutrient āgardensā where bacteria grow. Everything was going greatā¦ until we realized something important: We didnāt have any ampicillin. Ampicillin is an antibiotic used in many CRISPR experiments to make sure only the correctly modified bacteria survive. Without it, bacteria can grow everywhere ā and thatās exactly what happened.
A couple of weeks later when I checked the plates, some were totally contaminated. There was weird, fuzzy stuff growing on them ā random bacteria that crashed our experiment š¤¢š¦ . It looked kind of grossā¦ but also kind of cool.
š§Ŗ Fun Fact: Agar, the jelly-like material in plates, actually comes from seaweed! Scientists use it because bacteria can grow on it but usually canāt eat it, which keeps the surface stable for experiments. Learn more: https://www.yourgenome.org/facts/what-is-agar
š§¬ Step 2: Hydrating the Bacteria
Next, we worked on hydrating the Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria so they would be ready for transformation. Everything was going smoothly until it was time for the heat and cold shock step. This process helps bacteria absorb new DNA.
The instructions said to leave the tubes in cold shock for 30 minutes. Butā¦ we left for our grandparentsā house. And forgot about them. When we came back four hours later, the poor bacteria had been chilling (literally) way too long āļø.
š§¬ Fun Fact: During transformation, bacteria temporarily open tiny pores in their cell membranes so DNA can slip inside. Temperature changes help trigger this process! Learn more: https://www.yourgenome.org/facts/what-is-bacterial-transformation
š§ Step 3: The Calcium Chloride Disaster
Then came the step where we had to add calcium chloride (CaClā), which helps DNA move into bacterial cells. But guess what? We didnāt have any. So my dad ā being the hero of the experiment šāāļø ā went for a run and somehow came back with rock salt that we used instead. Was it scientifically perfect? Not even close but we were determined to keep going. Our mission to finish the CRISPR lab was back on trackā¦ sort of.
š§Ŗ Fun fact: Calcium ions help neutralize the negative charges on DNA and bacterial cell membranes, making it easier for DNA to enter the cell. Learn more about how DNA enters cells: https://www.nature.com/scitable/definition/transformation-289/
š§« Step 4: The Final Step
The final step was to add SOC recovery media, which helps bacteria recover after the shock process so they can start growing. But of courseā¦ We didnāt have that either. So we improvised again and hoped for the best š¤. A week later, I checked the plates ā> Only two plates had a tiny amount of transformed E. coli colonies. Not exactly the results we were hoping for ā but hey, it was something!
š§ What I Learned
Even though most of our plates didnāt work, I still learned a ton. Science isnāt always about perfect results. Itās about experimenting, problem-solving, and trying again. Real scientists deal with mistakes, missing materials, and unexpected results all the time. We may not have created the perfect CRISPR bacteria this timeā¦but we definitely created some unforgettable ā”CRISPR ā”chaos. And honestly? Thatās part of what makes science so much fun.
