Videos about Genomics

Short and lively, these videos highlight some of our genome’s quirky and curious behaviors.

Why say “genome” rather than “DNA”? Genome vs. DNA: what’s the diff? DNA is marvelous, but it’s just a molecule. Your genome is all of your DNA, and unlike commercial genetic tests, new technology reads every bit of it. You’ll be surprised at how much information your genome holds and where it’s stashed!

“Waking Sleeping Beauty” is a story about the scientific research that “woke” a genetic sequence that evolution had put to sleep (deactivated). The research that Perry Hackett, Scott McIvorDavid Largaespada, and Steve Ekker began in 1997 led to the development of a gene-editing tool and life-saving applications.

I was thrilled when the Fulbright Association gave me a Senior Scholar Award to produce my proposal for a video about Dan Mishmar’s research. Dr. Mishmar is an evolutionary geneticist at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Be’er Sheva, Israel.

I created the animation in the Mishmar Lab during my five months in Israel. Designed for a general audience, “Gene Cross-Talk,” is the story of coevolution between mitochondrial and nuclear DNA. After consulting with Dr. Mishmar to get the details just right, I wrote, narrated, illustrated, and animated the 3-minute video.

HLA is the immune system we inherit from our ancestors. The bioinformatics scientists at Be The Match specialize in deciphering the complex information that makes up our HLA. They identify the specific variants to make accurate patient-donor matches and improve the outcomes for people who need stem cell transplantation.

Did you know your genome holds information that could save a life? In a land of many multis, such as the United States, identifying genomic variants is critical for people with mixed genetic ancestry who need a donor match. This video explains the research by bioinformatics scientists at Be the Match, who develop tools to find and identify the variants.