Serving the genetic genealogy community and students of biology everywhere

Welcome to the new DNA Basics. All of the content from the old DNA Basics is still here. The good news is that layout and style have been updated and new content has been added.

DNA Basics is still arranged in roughly the same way. The content develops in an orderly manner if you navigate through the site from left to right using the menu links at the bottom of each page. Or, use the drop down menu at the top of the page. Whichever menu you use, don't leave the page without exploring the contents of all the tabs!

If you have bookmarked pages from the old DNA Basics, you will be automatically redirected to the corresponding page in the new version.

A new addition is that most pages are now laid out in tabbed sections to break information into smaller, less intimidating segments. Many of the tabs contain videos that reinforce the content or supplement it with in depth material. You will find the tab links across the top of the page underneath the page title.

DNA Basics came online in 2002. At that time, the web offered little in the way of educational resources—especially free resources. This website is a labor of love. There is no advertising and I personally pay all costs. Consequently, I am limited to using non-fee graphics, etc. Now, in 2017, through the generosity of many people who have made their graphics, animations and lectures shareable through Wikimedia and You Tube, I have been able to augment the content in a variety of ways that I hope will make it easier to understand and remember.

I have viewed hundreds of You Tube videos and animations for this update. From those I have selected several for each topic and embedded them in the site pages. I chose videos for factual accuracy and by how well they align with the site content. The next criterion was clear, understandable audio along with captivating visuals. I also aimed for videos that present information in short, easy to digest bites. My goal was for no video to be more than ten minutes long preferably shorter. Exceptions to the length restriction are included because either the material was complex and needed extra time and/or the presentation was enjoyable or I couldn’t find a shorter video that met the other criteria. I aimed for videos that are enjoyable and memorable. Some are traditional Power Point style lectures, others are animations (that I think are particularly useful and enjoyable) and others are silly songs that can break up study time and improve recollection. I hope everyone will have time to sample them all. Some of the more technical videos are actually promotional or training videos for biotech companies. In spite of a promotional slant, they have good information that is well presented. Their use does not imply an endorsement for the featured products since I have never used them personally.

I have included a Facebook like button with each video. If you find a particular video useful, please show your appreciation by giving it a like. I could not include thumbs up buttons from the You Tube site. If you really want to show your appreciation, please use the URL below the video to go to You Tube and give it a thumbs up.

The site has been designed to display on large screens as well as small mobile screens. In some cases, the necessary complexity of figures and diagrams may still be difficult to view clearly on mobile screens. It will be best to view videos and detailed images in landscape mode on mobile screens if possible.

I hope you will find DNA Basics both useful and enjoyable.

Nancy

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