Reading a gene

MBG Türkiye / fieldnotes

A DNA sequence is information, but it is not a complete account of what a cell will do. Genes are expressed in context, and expression can vary by cell type, time and environment.

Reading a genetic result means asking how it was obtained, what comparison was made and which biological question it can answer.

This distinction is especially important when a single variation is discussed as if it were a complete explanation of a complex trait.