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.
![Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)](/sites/default/files/media/images/2024-05/RNA-FactSheet-Dynamic.webp)
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is an essential molecule that performs many roles in the cell, from carrying the instructions to make proteins to regulating genes.
![Genomic variation dynamic graphic](/sites/default/files/media/images/2023-02/Genomic_variation_dyn_1.png)
Genomic variation accounts for some of the differences among people, including important aspects of their health and susceptibility to diseases.
![DNA sequencing by gel electrophoresis](/sites/default/files/media/images/2022-07/hgp_dynamic_2_copy.jpg)
A fact sheet detailing how the project began and how it shaped the future of research and technology.
![Machine Learning](/sites/default/files/media/images/2022-01/ML_main-dyn.jpg)
With increasing complexity in genomic data, researchers are turning to artificial intelligence and machine learning as ways to identify meaningful patterns for healthcare and research purposes.
![Informed Consent](/sites/default/files/media/images/2021-12/ic_thumb.jpg)
Informed consent is more than a form; it’s a process. What does it involve?
![Informed Consent](/sites/default/files/media/images/2021-12/ic2_thumb.jpg)
Several regulations and policies stipulate the information that must be given to research participants prior to their enrolling in a study.
![Diversity in Genomics Workforce](/sites/default/files/media/images/2021-12/diversity_genomics_workforce_dyn.jpg)
Enhancing the diversity of the research workforce fosters innovation and creativity.
![Double Helix](/sites/default/files/media/images/2021-09/dynamic%20diversity-01.jpg)
Diversity among genomics research participants is essential for improving the health of everyone.
![Eugenics](/sites/default/files/media/images/2021-11/eugenics_tree_dyn.jpg)
Eugenics is the scientifically erroneous and immoral theory of “racial improvement” and “planned breeding,”
![Virology](/sites/default/files/media/images/2021-11/virology__thumb_0.jpg)
Viruses are bundles of genetic material wrapped in a protein coat that can infect living things.
![COVID vaccine](/sites/default/files/media/images/2021-08/vaccine_thumbnail.png)
mRNA vaccines inject cells with instructions to generate a protein that is normally found on the surface of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
![Vaccine Production](/sites/default/files/media/images/2021-10/production_thumbnail2.png)
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers used state-of-the-art genomic sequencers to quickly sequence the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
![COVID Testing](/sites/default/files/media/images/2021-08/testing_thumbnail.png)
Genomic research has been central to understanding and combating the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic.
![Biological Pathways](/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](/sites/default/files/media/images/2021-11/Guide_Genomics_dynamic2020-01_0.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](/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](/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](/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](/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.
![The Cost of Sequencing a Human Genome | NHGRI](/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](/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](/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 Costs: Data | NHGRI](/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.
![DNA Sequencing](/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](/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](/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.
![Data Points](/sites/default/files/media/images/2021-03/data-points.jpg)
Genomic data science is a field of study that enables researchers to use powerful computational and statistical methods to decode the functional information hidden in DNA sequences.
![Genetic Mapping](/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.
![Genetics vs. Genomics Fact Sheet | NHGRI](/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).
![GWAS](/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](/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](/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.
![Person (icon) circled](/sites/default/files/media/images/2019-11/Dynamic-PRS2.jpg)
A polygenic risk score is one way by which people can learn what their risk of developing a disease is, based on the total number of genomics variants related to the disease.
![PCR](/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.
![Transcriptome](/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.
Last updated: May 24, 2024