Evolutionary Biology I

A collection of flashcards summarizing key concepts related to genomes, their sequencing, evolution, and the tools used for analysis.

Genomics

The study of whole sets of genes and their interactions.

Bioinformatics

The application of computational methods to the storage and analysis of biological data.

Human Genome Project

A research project aimed at sequencing the human genome, officially begun in 1990 and published in 2006.

Gene Annotation

The identification of protein-coding genes within DNA sequences in a database.

ENCODE (Encyclopedia of DNA Elements)

A project that aimed to learn about functionally important elements in the human genome from 2003 to 2012.

Proteomics

An approach to studying large sets of proteins and their properties.

Systems Biology

An approach focusing on the functional integration of genes and proteins in biological systems.

Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)

A project that analyzed many interacting genes and gene products to understand cancer.

High-throughput techniques

Methods used to analyze numerous genetic materials quickly, commonly applied in research about diseases like cancer.

Gene Density

The number of genes in a given length of DNA.

Metagenomics

An approach that involves sequencing DNA from a group of species in an environmental sample.

Transposable elements

DNA sequences that can change their position within the genome, providing sites for crossover during meiosis.

Comparative Genomics

The field that compares genomes from different species to understand evolutionary relationships.

Genome Size

Refers to the total amount of genetic material in an organism's DNA, with eukaryotic genomes generally being larger.

Duplication and Divergence

Processes through which DNA regions are copied and changed over time, contributing to genetic diversity.

Conserved Genes

Genes that have changed very little over time, helping to clarify relationships among species that diverged long ago.