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DNA bracelet

This activity will take 15 minutes, is for ages 7+ with no supervision needed.

Adorn yourself with some DNA code.

All the proteins that make up our bodies are made from a code written in our DNA. 

Here, you can turn the genetic code for an important feel-good hormone, oxytocin, into a bracelet or necklace. 

What you'll need

  • Coloured beads in four colours
  • Two strands of elastic thread
  • A DNA sequence to copy, have a look at the code for oxytocin below
  • Scissors

  • Gather your equipment

    Step 1 of 7

    Some scissors, beads and elastic against a pink backdrop

    Cut your elastic into two same-sized pieces that easily would fit around your wrist. Add a little extra for knots. 

  • Tie the two pieces of elastic together at one end

    Step 2 of 7

    Two hands tying a knot in elastic

    Make sure the beads cannot slip past your knot. 

  • Decide what colour bead represents each base pair

    Step 3 of 7

    Four different coloured beads with four letters pointing to each one, AT and GC

    DNA is made up of four base molecules: adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine (A, C, G and T for short). These always pair together in the same way: A goes with T, and C goes with G.

  • Start threading your first codon (three base pairs)

    Step 4 of 7

    Two hands threading beads onto black elastic

    Look at the genetic code for oxytocin and start to thread the genetic code. On the first elastic, thread the base sequence. 

  • Thread the matching bases on the second thread

    Step 5 of 7

    An image that says A pairs with T and C pairs with G

    After you have threaded the DNA code on the first thread, you can start to build your double helix. On the second piece of elastic, thread the base pairs. Remember A goes with T and G goes with with C.

  • Finish your protein-coding DNA sequence

    Step 6 of 7

    Two hands hold a bracelet

    Keep going until the bracelet is the size you would like – we tied a knot in the elastic after every three base pairs. You might reach your bracelet length before the end of the protein code, so don’t worry if this happens. 

  • Wear it!

    Step 7 of 7

    A hand wearing a bracelet

How does it work?

The DNA double helix is a twisted ladder made of two strands wound around each other. The base pairs form the rungs, where adenine (A) always pairs with thymine (T) and cytosine (C) always pairs with guanine (G).

In a DNA sequence, three bases together are known as a codon and they code for one amino acid. 

In your cells, a molecule called mRNA makes a copy of the genetic instructions stored in DNA. It then carries these instructions to a ribosome (there are many of these in each cell), where the amino acids are joined together in the correct order to build a protein.
 

Oxytocin

In our bodies, oxytocin is a small but important hormone made in our brains. It makes us feel happy and socially bonded. If you pat a pet animal, your levels of oxytocin will increase and so will the pet’s!

In our bodies, oxytocin is made as a bigger molecule and then cut into a smaller, nine amino acid protein to become oxytocin. 

The genetic code for oxytocin (and the animo acids that each codon makes) is:

  • TGT = Cysteine
  • TAC = Tyrosine
  • ATC = Isoleucine
  • CAG = Glutamine
  • AAC = Asparagine
  • TGT = Cysteine
  • CCC = Proline
  • CTG = Leucine
  • GGG = Glycine 

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