Amino Acid: Monomer chemical molecule which connect with one another to form large and complex proteins.

Bacteria: Single-celled, prokaryotic microorganism. Umbrella term for many species.

Base-pair: A base-pair (BP) is a pair of DNA matched up together (Ex: A-T, G-C, C-G, etc.). BPs can also be used as a unit of length of a gene sequence.

Bioinformatics: Bioinformatics is a field of science combining computer science and biology.

Bioinformatic pipeline: A bioinformatic pipline is a computational process used to analyze data (Ex. microbiomic bioinformatic pipeline).

Dynamic Programming: Dynamic programming is a recursive algorithom frequently used in bioinformatic studies. Typically with the input of a .fasta file, it outputs a comparison of two or more sequences in similarities. Learn more here.

E. Coli: E coli (Escherichia coli) is a common bacteria that typically is found in the intestines of animals but is frequently used in lab experiments due to its fast replication period and high protien expression levels.

Eukaryote: Type of cell with a membrane, many types of organelles, and is mainly found in animals, plants, and more complex organisms.

Metadata: A set of data that is used to describe the raw data

Mutation: A change in genetic code, most frequently during DNA replication.

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR): Polymerase chain reaction is a method of replicating spesific portions of DNA. Samples undergo a series of heat cycles which activate certain processes to be executed that replicate the selected DNA designated by primers. Learn more about PCR here. PCR has gained more public attraction because it is one of the most reliable methods to use for a diagnosis of the novel COVID-19. Learn more about PCR COVID-19 tests here.

Prokaryote: Type of single-celled organism without membrane and organelles. Cell type of bacteria and archaea.

Taxonomic: Method of naming and grouping organisms based off of charactaristics.