Can we make diamonds from DNA?
We have been asked "Can we make a diamond from DNA extracted from hair".
The short and blunt answer is "NO". As far as our chemists are concerned "DNA is destroyed at 600 degrees centigrade" and I personally know for sure that DNA prep' equipment is regularly cleaned with both bleach and gas flames to remove all traces.
It is certainly possible to make a diamond from hair, but to make a diamond from one or two strands of hair (the carbon residue that is) would result in a diamond containing almost minute proportions of the hair as to be indistinct from any other carbon source - even a pencil lead.
If any scientist or DNA expert can tell us otherwise, we would be interested to hear from you.