Fact Sheets about Genomics
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) has produced this series of fact sheets to explain complex concepts in genomics research to a non-scientific audience. Teachers, students and the general public alike will find the materials clearly written and easy to understand.
![Biological Pathways](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218040642im_/https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/media/images/2020-08/BioPathways_Dynamic2020-01.jpg)
A biological pathway is a series of actions among molecules in a cell that leads to a certain product or a change in the cell.
![Guide to Genomics](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218040642im_/https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/media/images/2020-08/Guide_Genomics_dynamic2020-01.jpg)
Genomics is the study of all of a person's genes (the genome), including interactions of those genes with each other and with the person's environment.
![Chromosomes](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218040642im_/https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/media/images/2020-08/Chromosome_dynamic2020-01.jpg)
Chromosomes are thread-like structures located inside the nucleus of animal and plant cells.
![Chromosome Abnormalities](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218040642im_/https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/media/images/2020-08/ChrAbnormalities_dynamic2020-01.jpg)
Chromosome abnormalities can either be numerical or structural and usually occur when there is an error in cell division.
![Cloning](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218040642im_/https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/media/images/2020-08/Cloning_dynamic2020-01.jpg)
Cloning describes a number of different processes that can be used to produce genetically identical copies of a biological entity.
![Comparative Genomics](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218040642im_/https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/media/images/2020-08/CompGenomics_dynamic2020-01.jpg)
Comparative genomics is a field of biological research in which researchers compare the complete genome sequences of different species.
![DNA](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218040642im_/https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/media/images/2020-08/DNA_dynamic2020-01.jpg)
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a molecule that contains the biological instructions that make each species unique.
![DNA microarray](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218040642im_/https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/media/images/2020-08/DNA_microarray_Dynamic2020-01.jpg)
A DNA microarray is a tool used to determine whether the DNA from a particular individual contains a mutation in genes.
![DNA Sequencing](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218040642im_/https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/media/images/2020-08/DNA_sequencing_dynamic2020-01.jpg)
DNA sequencing determines the order of the four chemical building blocks - called "bases" - that make up the DNA molecule.
![Epigenomics](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218040642im_/https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/media/images/2020-08/Epigenomics_dynamic2020-01-2.jpg)
Epigenomics is a field in which researchers chart the locations and understand the functions of all the chemical tags that mark the genome.
![FISH](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218040642im_/https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/media/images/2020-08/FISH_dynamic2020-01.jpg)
Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) provides researchers with a way to visualize and map the genetic material in an individual's cell.
![Genetic Mapping](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218040642im_/https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/media/images/2020-08/Gentic_mapping_dynamic2020-01.jpg)
Genetic mapping offers evidence that a disease transmitted from parent to child is linked to one or more genes and clues about where a gene lies on a chromosome.
![GWAS](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218040642im_/https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/media/images/2020-08/GWAS_dynamic2020-01.jpg)
Genome-wide association studies involve scanning markers across the genomes of many people to find genetic variations associated with a particular disease.
![Knockout Mice](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218040642im_/https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/media/images/2020-08/KnockoutMouse_Dynamic2020-01.jpg)
A knockout mouse is a laboratory mouse in which researchers have inactivated an existing gene by replacing it or disrupting it with an artificial piece of DNA.
![Newborn Screening](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218040642im_/https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/media/images/2020-08/NewbornScreening_Dynamic2020-01.jpg)
Newborn screening tests use a dried blood sample collected during the first week after birth to measure the presence of disease biomarkers.
![PCR](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218040642im_/https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/media/images/2020-08/PCR_dynamic2020-01.jpg)
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technique used to "amplify" small segments of DNA.
![The Cost of Sequencing a Human Genome | NHGRI](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218040642im_/https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/1.2.1.20_The_Cost_of_Sequencing_a_Human_Genome.jpg)
Estimated cost of sequencing the human genome over time since the Human Genome Project.
![DNA Sequencing Costs: Data | NHGRI](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218040642im_/https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/DNA_Sequencing_Costs_Data.jpg)
Data used to estimate the cost of sequencing the human genome over time since the Human Genome Project.
![Transcriptome](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218040642im_/https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/media/images/2020-08/Transcriptome_dynamic2020-01.jpg)
A transcriptome is a collection of all the gene readouts present in a cell.
![X chromosome](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218040642im_/https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/media/images/2020-03/X_dynamic-02.jpg)
The X chromosome determines your sex, gives some females super color vision and lends its magic to a certain breed of cat.
![Y chromosome](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218040642im_/https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/media/images/2020-03/Y_dynamic-03.jpg)
The Y chromosome of all living men is related through a single male ancestor who lived over 100,000 years ago.
![Genetics vs. Genomics Fact Sheet | NHGRI](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20201218040642im_/https://www.genome.gov/sites/default/files/1.2.1.24_sequence.jpg)
Genetics refers to the study of genes and their roles in inheritance. Genomics refers to the study of all of a person's genes (the genome).
Last updated: August 26, 2020