00:03Oh, hey, hi, I'm Crazy Chris, and welcome to So Cool Science, science you can do at home.
00:09You probably look nothing like me due to a random collection of molecular combinations,
00:15and oh yeah, I'm going over today's science file.
00:18In today's science file, it says...
00:21How did life get started on Earth?
00:25That's an awesome question. Try this.
00:33You will need some straws, a pair of scissors, and some electrical tape.
00:39Today, I am going to show you how to make your very own DNA model right at home.
00:44So, you got started by getting yourself like a buttload of straws,
00:49because you are going to need a buttload of straws to do this, okay?
00:53So, enough talking. Let's just get started with our buttload of straws.
00:59Start by getting yourself four different colored straws.
01:03Cut those four straws into equal pieces, roughly about three to four centimeters in length.
01:10Now, you're going to tape two colored straws together, making sure that you keep both pairs the exact same color.
01:18Now, get yourself some electrical tape.
01:20Lay down two tracks of electrical tape.
01:23Now, attach your paired straws to the electrical tape, alternating the straws like this.
01:34Now, get yourself some electrical tape.
01:37Lay down two tracks of electrical tape.
01:42Now, pick up your straws and give them a twirl, and you get a DNA model just like that.
01:48Check that out. You've got your very own wiki-cool DNA model.
01:51Right there, right at home. You made it yourself. Is that cool or what?
01:54Haha! Okay, so, well, where did this DNA come from?
01:59And how did life get started on this planet?
02:03Well, don't look at the Bible or me. Take a closer look at this.
02:08The origins of life can be found about four billion years ago,
02:12with organic molecules found in clay deposits near underwater vents.
02:16Lightning strikes would charge the water, which would charge the underwater clay,
02:20which attracted nucleotide molecules.
02:23These nucleotide molecules were attracted to each other,
02:26forming stacks or chains similar to how crystals form.
02:30Other nucleotide molecules were attracted to the already formed chains,
02:34forming a double helix.
02:36When temperatures near the volcanic vents were hot enough,
02:39these chains would split into two copies of the same chain.
02:43These chains were very unstable, causing some of the chains to begin to wrap around themselves,
02:49leaving a more stable molecule.
02:51Around the same time that these chains were forming,
02:54small fatty acid bubbles also began to form from carbon and hydrogen molecules,
02:59which would stack on each other.
03:01Some of the nucleotide molecules made their way inside these fatty acid bubbles.
03:06These formed chains, which would split and form molecular bundles,
03:10known as ribosome replicators, which would build genes or chains that would maintain the bubble,
03:16as well as maintain the ability to continue replicating molecular information.
03:20This allowed the bubbles to pull apart without breaking, forming two new daughter cells.
03:26Eventually, chains began to stick together, forming primitive DNA,
03:30which would increase the likelihood of replicating information,
03:34and thus sped up the evolution of fatty acid bubbles into primitive cell bacteria.
03:41So now you know how life got started on this planet.
03:44You know, making your own DNA model right at home is why science is so cool.
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