Learn Genomics with interactive visualizations. Explore genome sequencing, annotation, comparative genomics, and functional genomics with hands-on examples and real data simulations.
Genomics is an interdisciplinary field of biology focusing on the structure, function, evolution, mapping, and editing of genomes. A genome is an organism's complete set of DNA, including all of its genes. Genomics includes the systematic use of genome information to understand biological phenomena.
Determining the complete DNA sequence of an organism's genome
Identifying and cataloging functional elements in the genome
Comparing genomes across different species to understand evolution
Understanding different approaches to determine DNA sequences
Traditional method using chain-terminating dideoxynucleotides to determine DNA sequence. Still considered the gold standard for accuracy.
High-throughput methods that parallelize the sequencing process, producing millions of sequences simultaneously at lower cost.
Single-molecule sequencing technologies that sequence individual DNA molecules without amplification, providing long reads.
Identifying and cataloging functional elements in genomic sequences
Comparing genomes across different species to understand evolutionary relationships
Comparative genomics involves comparing the genomes of different species to understand evolutionary relationships, identify conserved elements, and discover species-specific features.
Understanding the relationship between genomic sequences and biological function
Functional genomics aims to understand the relationship between an organism's genome and its biological functions. This involves studying gene expression, protein function, and regulatory networks.
Understanding the distinctions between genomics and similar concepts
Genetics focuses on individual genes and inheritance patterns, while genomics studies entire genomes and their functions. Genetics is gene-centric; genomics is genome-centric.
Genomics studies DNA sequences and their organization, while proteomics analyzes the complete set of proteins. Genomics is about potential; proteomics is about function.
Genomics examines the entire DNA content, while transcriptomics studies RNA expression levels. Genomics is static; transcriptomics is dynamic.
Step-by-step visualization of genomic analysis workflows
Collect biological samples for DNA/RNA extraction.
Extract high-quality DNA from the collected samples.
Prepare sequencing libraries for high-throughput analysis.
Generate millions of short DNA sequence reads.
Reconstruct the original genome sequence from reads.
Identify and catalog functional elements in the genome.
Save and load your genomics analysis results
Practice problems with solutions
Problem: If a genome has 3.2 billion base pairs and each base pair occupies 0.34 nm of DNA length, calculate the total length of the genome in meters.
Solution: Total length = 3.2 × 10⁹ bp × 0.34 × 10⁻⁹ m/bp = 1.088 meters
Problem: A genome of 500 Mb is sequenced with 100 bp reads, generating 2.5 billion reads. Calculate the average coverage.
Solution: Coverage = (2.5 × 10⁹ reads × 100 bp/read) / (500 × 10⁶ bp) = 500× coverage
Problem: A asc of 150 Mb contains 2,500 genes. Calculate the gene density and discuss its significance.
Solution: Gene density = 2,500 genes / 150 Mb = 16.7 genes/Mb. This indicates a moderate gene density compared to other chromosomes.
Test your understanding of genomics concepts
Hands-on tools to visualize genomics concepts