Hate Brussels Sprouts? It's Genetic - Pearl Biotech's Open PCR Project

If you hate the taste of Brussels sprouts it's likely genetic and now you can prove it to your mom and dad with the Pro Biotech's open source PCR project. Gene sequencing at home. http://biocurious.org/

Filmed at Maker Faire California 2010

• Category

  Education

[opikalo]

I think it is Pearl Biotech.

[jeriellsworth]

You are right. Thanks I'll update the info.

[Brian Doom]

I hear the MIDI Gamelan in the background!

[jeriellsworth]

Gamelan was neat, but it ran continuously next to the really cool demos all weekend.

[kenatiod]

Jeri, you did a great job of getting him to say all the things he didn't think to say so the whole thing was well explained.

[Brendan Wilding]

Agarose gels are really cheap (<$1). you need a DNA stain (i.e. EtBr) which is cheap too (probs <$1 per gel). Need a UV source ($25?), filter to protect eye ($10?) and a detector (camera or your eye). The most expensive thing are the enzymes required (probably ~$1-5 per test), and the primers for the specific gene (~$30 for 1'000s of tests). You will also need a lot of other tools (pipettes, tubes, etc.) and disposables (water), you could probably set all this up ~$500 incl. machine.

[spider87]

Agreed, this video was amazingly well documented!

[marcoxmeijer]

Brussels sprouts + bacon is reeeaally good. I used to hate them until my mom mixed bacon in with the sprouts.

[iSolarSunrise]

Hah! I like how you peppered him with questions and made him hesitate from time to time :). I think I'll just make my own for under 100 rather than spending 500.

[TeslaElectricMaestro]

anyone used these? how much? quality?

[saxamo]

The unit is finally ready for shipment, it's $512. Thanks for the video i learned a lot! I also thought it was Pro biotech...and glad i looked here to see it was Pearl.

[bejius]

I was thinking exactly the same things, she was spot on all the time, and when she said this is agar, I was blown away, Jerie knows this stuff !

[electrodacus]

This is great I need to try to build this when I get some time.

[bionerd23]

haha, cool, i just had my genome analyzed for the same reason.

i'm Tt and i like beer and brussels sprouts. =)

PTC nearly makes me gag, tho, which is probably a good thing, considering it's such a potent neurotoxin.

[shodanxx]

ok that's it, I don't care what happens, but next year I'm going to maker faire, FFS this is amazing !!