How does life store and use information?
Follow a sequence from DNA to a working cell, then ask how variation changes the picture.
Choose an idea to see what it connects to. Each link says how the two are related; the reading takes you further.
How does life store and use information?
Follow a sequence from DNA to a working cell, then ask how variation changes the picture.
What is written in a genome?
Start with the object being described: a sequence, a reference genome or a collection of genomes. What does each representation include, and whose variation does it leave out?
Connected ideas
← asks about genomesHow does life store and use information?→has a physical formHow does a molecule carry information?→can differ between individualsWhat changes when a sequence changes?→Read into this question
How does a molecule carry information?
DNA is also a physical molecule. Consider how its structure and interactions shape the questions a sequence alone can answer.
Connected ideas
← asks about moleculesHow does life store and use information?→← has a physical formWhat is written in a genome?→participates in cellular processesHow does a cell read and respond?→Read into this question
How does a cell read and respond?
Move from stored sequence to interactions and signals. Ask which part of a cellular process an experiment actually observes.
Connected ideas
← asks about cellsHow does life store and use information?→← participates in cellular processesHow does a molecule carry information?→← raises questions about consequencesWhat changes when a sequence changes?→Read into this question
What changes when a sequence changes?
Compare a predicted consequence with an observed one. Which variation is being studied, in what context, and with what evidence?