How to Make the DNA Molecule With Pipe Cleaners

DNA molecules have a distinct shape.

The complex strings of DNA contained within the human body can be a difficult concept to fully comprehend. A hands-on project may help to make this lesson easier. By creating a DNA molecule with simple craft supplies such as pipe cleaners, children and adults alike can get a better idea of what a strand of DNA looks like. This project is simple to put together and results in an intriguing three-dimensional model of a DNA molecule.

Things You'll Need

• 2 pieces of thread, each 24 inches
• 32 pieces of pipe cleaners (8 each in red, green, orange and purple), 2-inches each
• 16 dry-wheel-shaped pasta noodles
• 16 dry-tube-shaped pasta noodles

Instructions

1. Thread each piece of thread with alternating pasta noodles. Begin with the wheel shaped pasta; then alternate between the tube-shaped pasta and wheel-shaped pasta. Each piece of thread should have eight wheel-shaped pasta noodles and eight tube-shaped pasta noodles.

2. Tie the thread securely to the wheel-shaped noodles on the ends of each section. This will ensure that the two strands will keep the noodles together.

3. Lay the two pasta-lined pieces of thread side by side. Since both pieces of thread have the same number of pasta noodles and are aligned in the same way, the threads should be identical. The noodle strings will create the DNA ladder that supports the chemical pairs.

4. Assign chemical traits to each of the pipe cleaner colors. There are four types of chemicals used in DNA: adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine. Once each color represents a chemical component, pair up the colors according to the way that a DNA strand uses each compound: adenine is always linked with thymine, and cytosine is always linked with guanine.

5. Twist each pair of pipe cleaner color combinations together, resulting in eight twisted pairs of each color combination. Each twisted color combination should be about 2 inches long.

6. Attach the twisted pipe cleaners to the noodles, creating a ladder. Twist one end of the twisted pipe cleaner around the first thread; then twist the other end of the pipe cleaner directly across to the other thread. Work down until all of the pipe cleaner combinations are connected to the thread, with noodles in between each. The order in which the pipe cleaner combinations are attached to the threads doesn't matter, as there is no defined pattern.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also use beads threaded onto a string in place of noodles for a more colorful project.

References

• Discovery Education: Building a Model DNA
• Epic of Evolution: Using Beads to Simulate DNA Replication, Transcription and Translation