Can DNA survive intense heat?

[Guest Emperor]

Hey guys, I was wondering if DNA can survive through intense heat, more specifically a fire, thanks!

[Skye]

No.

[Dak]

arent there some thermaphillic archaebacter that can survive the kind of temperatures found around the mouth of a volcano? i assume they have some way of protecting their DNA?

[chatlack]

Some different forms of DNA can live , I think... But it would be very different living , cause it cant change in time for this condition. It must have become living in this condition...

[Skye]

arent there some thermaphillic archaebacter that can survive the kind of temperatures found around the mouth of a volcano? i assume they have some way of protecting their DNA?

I'm not sure what temperature they can withstand, or for how long. IIRC they have been cultured up to 113 C.

 

But the thing is that DNA itself won't be able to withstand a fire.

[ecoli]

No, it would definately denature in a fire.

 

Maybe the bacteria have quick-acting enzymes that can speedily repair DNA. Is that how they retain their DNA?

[Coral Rhedd]

I read that the reason that some of the 9-11 victims could not be identified was because intense heat had made it impossible to retrieve their DNA, but they saved the remains just the same because they thought they might someday have the technology to affect an ID.

 

Does this mean that some DNA may remain but that we just don't have the techology to retrieve it -- or were they just being nice and trying to soothe people with the possibility that indentification may some day be possible?

[Skye]

Maybe the bacteria have quick-acting enzymes that can speedily repair DNA. Is that how they retain their DNA?

Well they do, and so do we. They also have specialised proteins that bind to their DNA to stabilise it, and they have a higher number of guanine and cytosine residues in their DNA which makes it more stable.

 

I read that the reason that some of the 9-11 victims could not be identified was because intense heat had made it impossible to retrieve their DNA' date=' but they saved the remains just the same because they thought they might someday have the technology to affect an ID.

 

Does this mean that some DNA may remain but that we just don't have the techology to retrieve it -- or were they just being nice and trying to soothe people with the possibility that indentification may some day be possible?[/quote']

The current techniques are pretty good, if they didn't find any DNA there's probably none there. But who knows what the future will bring?