genetics Genomics

Areas of study » Genomics

The development of the technology to sequence the DNA of whole genomes on a routine basis has given rise to the discipline of genomics, which dominates genetics research today. Genomics is the study of the structure, function, and evolutionary comparison of whole genomes. Genomics has made it possible to study gene function at a broader level, revealing sets of genes that interact to impinge on some biological property of interest to the researcher. Bioinformatics is the computer-based discipline that deals with the analysis of such large sets of biological information, especially as it applies to genomic information.

Citations

MLA Style:

"genetics." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 05 Dec. 2008 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/228936/genetics>.

APA Style:

genetics. (2008). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved December 05, 2008, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/228936/genetics

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Link to this article and share the full text with the readers of your Web site or blog-post.

If you think a reference to this article on "genetics" will enhance your Web site, blog-post, or any other web-content, then feel free to link to this article, and your readers will gain full access to the full article, even if they do not subscribe to our service.

You may want to use the HTML code fragment provided below.

copy link

We welcome your comments. Any revisions or updates suggested for this article will be reviewed by our editorial staff. Contact us here.

Regular users of Britannica may notice that this comments feature is less robust than in the past. This is only temporary, while we make the transition to a dramatically new and richer site. The functionality of the system will be restored soon.

A-Z Browse

Image preview