Students at Bogue Chitto Attendance Center are getting moreinsight than most into what makes people what they are.

Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is a nucleic acid that containsthe genetic instructions used in the development and functioning ofall known living organisms. It is often described as a set ofblueprints that carries the instructions cells need to create andform life.

Most students learn about DNA in biology class. But 11 juniorsand seniors at Bogue Chitto are not only learning about DNA-they’re examining their own cellular blueprint.

The students Wednesday used cotton swabs to remove DNA materialfrom the inside of their cheeks and prepped it for study. Theycontinued the process to actually extract the DNA from thematerial, and today the students will be able to view their ownchemical blueprints and compare them to those of the otherstudents.

The process can be completed by accomplished technicians inunder a few hours, said molecular biology teacher Kathy McKone.However, because of instruction and the limits on classroom time,the experiment is drawn out over three days.

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