National DNA Day 2023 marked the annual celebration of the discovery of the DNA double helix structure.
The 70th anniversary commemorates April 25, 1953, the day scientists James Watson and Francis Crick formally announced their discovery of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), life's most basic genetic code.
Students at Nipaquay Elementary in Mission Valley celebrated by conducting experiments on strawberries. A group of 70 first and second-graders at the school used science kits to extract the DNA from the fruit.
The kits were provided by Illumina, a San Diego company that develops and manufactures science tools for genetic experiments.
"Our students had a blast learning about DNA and being real scientists. We appreciate (corporate support) that sparks interest and exploration in STEM learning,” said Michael Goodbody, principal of Nipaquay Elementary.
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A student at Nipaquay Elementary School in Mission Valley watches their experiment to extract DNA from strawberries, Tuesday, San Diego, Calif., April 25, 2023.
illumina
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Students at Nipaquay Elementary School in Mission Valley watch their experiment to extract DNA from strawberries, Tuesday, San Diego, Calif., April 25, 2023.
Illumina
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Two students at Nipaquay Elementary School in Mission Valley prepare an experiment to extract DNA from strawberries, Tuesday, San Diego, Calif., April 25, 2023.
Illumina
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Two students at Nipaquay Elementary School in Mission Valley prepare an experiment to extract DNA from strawberries, Tuesday, San Diego, Calif., April 25, 2023.
Illumina
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An instructor shows students Nipaquay Elementary School in Mission Valley the steps for an experiment to extract DNA from strawberries, Tuesday, San Diego, Calif., April 25, 2023.
Illumina
