Martha Stewart in the lab ?

What if we invited Martha Stewart to the lab ? She could do a show on how to pour the perfect sequencing gel, or how to make competent bacteria, purify DNA .... humm.... just imagine ...
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So, today we will be pouring a sequencing gel. A sequencing gel is a 0.5 mm thin slab of gel uniformly spread between two glass plates, it is used to separate DNA fragments that are just one nucleotide base larger than the next.

So, first we'll need:

• two glass plates, these are about 50 cm tall and 35 cm wide, note that one is about 3 cm shorter
• two spacer strips 0.5 cm thick
• a comb (we will use to create the wells in the gel where the sample is applied)
• a 8M, 1X TBE, 20 % acrylamide solution
• a 8M urea, 1XTBE solution to dilute the acrylamide
• 10 % ammonium persulfate
• TEMED

now, there are as many ways to pour a sequencing gel as there are scientists in a lab. my preferred technique is using these silicon gaskets. I find them quite practical to avoid leaks.

etc. etc. ....fade back in ... maybe I'll do that, I'll make a video and post it, ha ! I do it often enough with the students, next time I'll just tell them to watch the video...

Everyone knows that science is a lot like cooking, so she should have no trouble at all to adjust.