NY BIO IN ACTION

The NY Loves Bio Interactive Kiosk is currently on loan to the Schenectady Museum & Suits-Bueche Planetarium as part of a new exhibit: Putting DNA to Work. If you haven’t made it over to see this exhibit yet, I hope you will do so soon. The Museum is the only place in New York State where you will have an opportunity to see this world-class exhibit before it returns to its home base at the Marion Koshland Museum of Science in Washington, DC. It will be in Schenectady until January 25, 2009.

While DNA was first described as a helical structure 50 years ago, scientists today are using DNA technology in a variety of applications: medical research, agricultural science, and forensics. Putting DNA to Work explores the molecular structure of DNA and the genetic similarities between humans and other species with hands-on, multimedia activities for visitors of all ages. This exhibit also explores how DNA is used in inherited diseases, crop improvement, and criminal justice.

Visitors who are fans of popular television dramas like CSI will especially enjoy the DNA & Criminal Justice section of the exhibit, which explores forensic DNA evidence and its sources such as blood, hair, and saliva. Since the science of identifying individuals using DNA sequences is very clear and the probability of scientific error is extremely small, DNA evidence has been used to help identify criminals and eliminate innocent suspects.