2007-03-23 20:32:20 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
You would have to use an electron scanning microscope.
2007-03-23 20:47:23 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Not a regular microscrope, no. You would need a powerful microscope that can magnify over many times to be able to see DNA up close.
2007-03-23 20:37:34 · answer #2 · answered by lamb.chops 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
DNA isn't resolved using optical microscopes; it is resolved using the chemistry of base-pairing. You simply cannot see a single strand of DNA using visible light and you certainly cannot see a single change in a single base pair -- or even several base pairs. You sequence the DNA using a commercial gene sequencer then use data mining software to spot changes in the sequence. As far as a science fair project goes, you have a testable hypothesis but you don't really have the means to test that hypothesis. It would require several hundred thousand dollars worth of sequencing equipment and computers just to sequence the gene you're interested in in the first place; not to mention purifying your sequence and testing the effects of just a single compound. Then, to be sure your data isn't the result of a single random mutation (i.e. not caused by the compound you're testing), you have to repeat it thousands of times with a large sample population. In short, it's a great project for a doctoral thesis in biochemistry but perhaps a bit too ambitious for a science fair.
2016-03-29 01:54:03 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You would need to use a fluorescent microscope. A fluorescence microscope uses a mercury or xenon lamp to produce ultraviolet light. This makes the DNA stand out.
2007-03-23 20:51:54 · answer #4 · answered by sassy_girl54153 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
only under an electron microscope, not under any ordinary microscope, because, dna is extremely tiny, and requires immense magnification to be seen, which is possible only under an electron microscope. however, you will be able to see dead dna and not live one, as it is not possible to see live matter under an electron microscope.
2007-03-23 20:52:08 · answer #5 · answered by da punk~ 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Under an electron microscope you can see molecules, so i assume you can also see DNA
2007-03-23 20:52:15 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can see chromosomes with a light microscope. It is not exactly DNA but it is huge coils of DNA and proteins.
2007-03-23 20:48:48 · answer #7 · answered by bravozulu 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
no under microscope it is not possible. can be viewed by X-ray crystallography...
2007-03-24 04:13:48 · answer #8 · answered by sameer c 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes because of the gravity of the earth!!
2007-03-23 20:42:42 · answer #9 · answered by Jan Richard O 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋