January 29, 2010 - Many of us sit down each week to watch our favorite crime show on television and marvel at how, in under an hour, a crime-scene mystery is solved. The forensics students at Shaker High School are learning, first of all that it takes longer than an hour sometimes, and more importantly, how to solve certain crimes by analyzing DNA and using the results to nab the suspect.

“DNA fingerprinting is used routinely to solve crimes,” Shaker High School science teacher, Kelly Ryan said. “By examining the results in our labs, the students really get a feel for how crimes in the real world are cracked.”

In a recent lab, students analyzed six different samples of DNA: one sample from the hypothetical crime scene and five suspect samples. Students began the lab by cutting the DNA samples using restriction enzymes, resulting in DNA fragments of different lengths.

These DNA fragments are then separated using a technique called electrophoresis. DNA samples are loaded into wells in an Agarose gel, placed in a chamber with a positive electrode at one end and negative electrode at the other. The DNA fragments, which are negatively charged, will be drawn through the gel to the positive electrode, the smaller pieces moving faster than larger ones.

The gels are stained to reveal the DNA fragments, which appear as patterns of bands below each of the wells. Based on the fragment patterns, students compare the crime scene DNA to the suspects’ DNA to determine a “match” and solve the crime.

While it may not be as flashy as some TV shows make it look, these students are learning skills that will one day help make the world a safer place.