Re: How can I test for animal DNA damage from EMF exposure?

Caitlin,
	These are some very impressive experiments you’ve suggested.  I’m 
sorry to say that I can’t think of many techniques available to you that 
would test for DNA damage.  Even in a research lab, testing for DNA damage 
can be a complex proposition.  For instance, one technique involves using 
antibodies prepared against proteins known to be involved in the repair of 
DNA damage.  Scientists then apply these antibodies to cells or tissues 
they suspect could have DNA damage, and look to see if the proteins of 
interest are clustered at specific spots inside the nucleus; this 
indicates that places where the DNA is damaged are surrounded by repair 
proteins.  Unfortunately an experiment like this would require equipment 
that a high school biology lab simply doesn’t possess, including a 
fluorescent microscope, antibodies to these proteins, and equipment 
required for cell culture.  Other experiments that specifically look for 
DNA damage are even more costly and highly specialized – so much so that 
even large research labs must share the cost of this equipment.  
	If you have an interest in performing a project that requires 
intensive biochemistry or molecular biology, I suggest that you look at 
the faculty page for the nearest university/college’s biology department 
and contact a professor that works on something that interests you.  Given 
its prominent role in cancer and other disease states, DNA damage is a 
pretty commonly investigated phenomenon, and you’d be surprised at how 
willing many professors are to help high school students cultivate an 
interest in biological research.  
	I’m sorry I couldn’t help you further, but good luck in your 
future endeavors!
Billy.

PS – I’ve included some links to pages that might be of interest to you – 
check out the technical literature if you’re interested, and also check 
out the prices…you might understand why high schools don’t invest more in 
advanced scientific tools.

This is a system that stains cells in culture for H2AX, which is a protein 
that responds to and co-localizes with a break in both strands of DNA, or 
a “double-stranded” break. http://www.activemotif.
com/catalog/178.html

A comet assay is a really simple (yes still costly and difficult to 
analyze) experiment that helps scientists analyze a single cell’s DNA 
stability.  It works by breaking up all of the molecules in a cell except 
for the DNA, then using an electric field to push draw the DNA away from 
where the cell was.  DNA that is intact is large and difficult to move 
using an electric field, but DNA that has been fragmented can be moved, 
leaving a “comet tail” as it moves…the longer and brighter the tail, the 
more DNA damage. http://www.bioreliance.
com/comet_assay.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wi
ki/Comet_assay