Identification with DNA

The process is extracting and analyzing DNA from mushrooms is a lot easier than you might think.

Here is a very basic overview of the process

1. Extract DNA from your tissue
2. Select a very specific region to copy
3. Make millions of copies
4. Send those copies to a lab for sequencing
5. Search for that DNA sequence to find close matches

This still sounds complicated, right? Let’s treat this like sourdough

1. Make a DNA starter by crushing a piece of mushroom and adding a couple ingredients
2. Mix a tiny amount of starter with a few more ingredients that ‘recognize’ the target area
3. ‘Bake’ the mixture by telling a simple machine what temp and for how long
4. Send the sample to a lab
5. Copy+Paste your results into a DNA search engine

I have started to outline this process with more detail and I will continue to update this further over the coming weeks.