Build a clear vocabulary for DNA, genes, chromosomes, and genetic variation. These guides connect basic biology with the language used in testing and research.
Start here if the terminology is new or if you want to check that familiar words are being used precisely. A gene, a genome, a genotype, and a variant describe different aspects of genetic information. Understanding those distinctions helps you ask more useful questions before comparing tests or reading a report.
The articles in this collection move from the molecule itself to the methods used to measure it. Read the genomic DNA guide first for a broad foundation, then compare genotyping and sequencing to understand how a laboratory approach shapes the information available. The examples are designed to explain concepts rather than interpret any individual’s results.
You can return to this collection whenever another guide introduces an unfamiliar term. Follow the links into testing or genome databases when you are ready to connect the fundamentals with a practical reading task.
Genotyping and sequencing can both describe genetic differences, but they collect information in different ways. Learn how selected markers, sequence reads, coverage, and imputation shape the results, and which questions make a method comparison useful rather than confusing.
Genomic DNA includes much more than protein-coding genes. Explore how DNA is organized, how cells use it, why variation is ordinary, and how reference genomes help researchers describe differences without turning every difference into a health conclusion.
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