Talking Glossary of Genetic Terms

Genetic Map

A genetic map is a type of chromosome map that shows the relative locations of genes and other important features. The map is based on the idea of linkage, which means that the closer two genes are to each other on the chromosome, the greater the probability that they will be inherited together. By following inheritance patterns, the relative locations of genes along the chromosome are established.

Narration Transcription

[Genetic map] is a map that shows the relative location of two genetic traits. And the way to do this is to use the offspring of an organism and track how many times two given genetic traits are inherited together; for instance, hair color and eye color. The higher the percentage of descendants that have both traits together, the closer on the chromosome the genes responsible for the traits will be.

Doctor Profile

Name: Belen Hurle, Ph.D.

Occupation: Research Fellow Training Program Coordinator

Biography: Dr. Belen Hurle is a staff scientist in the Division of Intramural Research and a program coordinator in the Intramural Training Office. Her current area of research is the study of primate genomes as a way to enhance our understanding of human evolutionary biology. She uses a comparative genomics approach that involves sequencing targeted areas of up to 20 different primate genomes and comparing them to each other and to the human genome with the help of bioinformatics tools. As a program coordinator, she oversees the training experience of NHGRI postdoctoral fellows and summer students.