Key Area 1.8: Genomic sequencing

Question 1

What is genomic sequencing?

Answer 1

Genomic sequencing is the process by which the sequence of nucleotide bases is determined for individual genes or even entire genomes

Question 2

What is bioinformatics?

Answer 2

Bioinformatics is the work of computer based programs to identify base sequences by looking for sequences similar to known genes

Question 3

How does genomic sequencing help for a better everyday life?

Answer 3

• Sequencing of disease-causing organisms can help with accurate diagnosis
• Sequencing of pest species can help identify risks and lead to specific methods of control being developed rather than general pesticides
• Sequencing of model organisms such as fruit flies, C. elegans nematodes or zebra fish means they can be used in medical research in place of mammals (reducing ethical concerns and costs).

Question 4

What is Phylogenetics?

Answer 4

Phylogenetics is using genomic sequencing to then work out evolutionary relationships of different species

Question 5

What do molecular clocks do?

Answer 5

Molecular clocks measure the number of mutations that accumulate in a DNA sequence over time using sequence data and we can use this information to work out when speciation occurred and when one lineage separated into two new lines