--- title: Genetics description: Genetics is the study of heredity, genes, and variation in living organisms. Learners will understand how genetic information is encoded, replicated, and inherited, as well as how genetic mutations contribute to diseases and evolutionary processes. category: health-medicine subcategory: medical-sciences difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced url: /subject/genetics --- # Genetics Genetics is the study of heredity, genes, and variation in living organisms. Learners will understand how genetic information is encoded, replicated, and inherited, as well as how genetic mutations contribute to diseases and evolutionary processes. ## Available Resources 6 Books • 4 Courses • 7 Websites ## Websites ### 1. Khan Academy Genetics Covers Mendelian inheritance, meiosis, pedigrees, sex linkage, and non-Mendelian patterns through short videos and practice problems. After working through it you can predict cross outcomes and read pedigree charts for common inheritance modes. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/classical-genetics **Tags:** mendelian-genetics, heredity, punnett-squares, pedigrees, introductory-biology ### 2. MedlinePlus Genetics NIH-maintained reference explaining genes, chromosomes, and inherited conditions in plain language, with entries on individual genes and disorders. Useful for looking up what a specific gene does or how a named genetic condition is inherited. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/ **Tags:** medical-genetics, genetic-disorders, inheritance-patterns, gene-reference, patient-education ### 3. learn.genetics.utah.edu Free University of Utah resource with interactive tutorials, animations, and virtual labs spanning basic genetics, epigenetics, genetic disorders, gene therapy, precision medicine, and evolution. A companion Teach.Genetics section supplies matching lesson plans and classroom materials. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://learn.genetics.utah.edu **Tags:** websites, health-medicine, medical-sciences ### 4. ensembl.org Ensembl is a comprehensive genome browser and annotation resource offering high-quality genome assemblies, gene models, transcripts, regulatory features, and genetic variation across many species. It also provides comparative genomics tools, data downloads, and access via BioMart and APIs for querying and mining genomic data. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://ensembl.org **Tags:** websites, engineering-manufacturing, biotechnology ### 5. dnaftb.org DNA from the Beginning is an interactive genetics education resource that uses animated tutorials to explain DNA structure, replication, transcription, translation, and gene expression. It provides learner-focused explanations, activities, and classroom-ready materials. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://dnaftb.org **Tags:** websites, science-research, biology ### 6. khanacademy.org/science/biology Khan Academy Biology offers free, expert-led video lessons, practice questions, and quizzes to support introductory biology learning. It covers core topics from cell biology and genetics to evolution, ecology, and physiology. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://khanacademy.org/science/biology **Tags:** websites, science-research, biology ### 7. omim.org OMIM (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man) is a comprehensive, curated database of human genes and genetic disorders, providing detailed gene and disease/phenotype entries, inheritance patterns, clinical features, and links to supporting literature to explore gene–disease relationships. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://omim.org **Tags:** websites, science-research, biology ## Courses ### 1. 7.03x Genetics (MIT RES.7-006) **Author:** Michael Hemann, Peter Reddien, Mary Ellen Wiltrout et al. Structure and function of genes, chromosomes and genomes; variation through recombination, mutation and selection; population genetics; and genetic methods for probing protein function, gene regulation and inherited disease. Self-paced version of the on-campus genetics subject, with problem sets and solutions. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/res-7-006-7-03x-genetics/ **Tags:** genetics, gene-mapping, molecular-genetics, population-genetics, genetic-analysis ### 2. Introductory Biology (MIT 7.016) **Author:** Barbara Imperiali, Adam Martin, Diviya Ray Biochemistry, molecular biology and genetics, from gene and protein structure to how molecules build cells and organisms, with a chemical biology slant applied to cancer, virology and therapeutic design. Includes 35 lecture videos plus problem sets and exams with solutions. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/7-016-introductory-biology-fall-2018/ **Tags:** molecular-biology, genetics, biochemistry, cell-biology, chemical-biology ### 3. Introduction to Genetics and Evolution Introduction to Genetics and Evolution is a college-level class being offered simultaneously to new students at Duke University. The course gives interested people a very basic overview of some principles behind these very fundamental areas of biology. We often hear about new "genome sequences," commercial kits that can tell you about your ancestry (including pre-human) from your DNA or disease predispositions, debates about the truth of evolution, why animals behave the way they do, and how people found "genetic evidence for natural selection." This course provides the basic biology you need to understand all of these issues better, tries to clarify some misconceptions, and tries to prepare students for future, more advanced coursework in Biology (and especially evolutionary genetics). No prior coursework is assumed. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.coursera.org/learn/genetics-evolution **Tags:** courses, health-medicine, medical-sciences ### 4. Genetics: The Fundamentals (MITx 7.03.1x) **Author:** Michael Hemann, Peter Reddien, Mary Ellen Wiltrout et al. Covers inheritance patterns, genetic crosses, pedigree analysis and probability in heritable disease, taught through real experiments. Video lessons and problems train learners to state hypotheses, design genetic experiments and interpret data the way working geneticists do. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.edx.org/learn/genetics/massachusetts-institute-of-technology-genetics-the-fundamentals **Tags:** genetics, heredity, pedigree-analysis, genetic-crosses, experimental-design ## Podcasts ### 1. Genetics Unzipped **Author:** The Genetics Society From Mendel's peas to personal genome sequencing, Genetics Unzipped brings you stories from the world of genes, genomes and DNA. In association with The Genetics Society. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** en-US | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://geneticsunzipped.com/ **Tags:** genetics, genomics, dna, history-of-science, science-communication ### 2. DNA Today **Author:** Kira Dineen, Gene Pool Media Interview podcast hosted by genetic counselor Kira Dineen, with more than a decade of episodes. Guests include clinical geneticists, researchers, biotech figures, and patient advocates discussing CRISPR, rare disease diagnosis, prenatal screening, and genetic counseling practice. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** en | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://dnatodaypodcast.podbean.com **Tags:** genetic-counseling, crispr, rare-disease, genomics, biotechnology ## Books ### 1. The Gene: An Intimate History **Author:** Siddhartha Mukherjee Traces the idea of heredity from Mendel's peas through the discovery of DNA structure to gene sequencing and CRISPR, interleaving the science with the history of eugenics and the author's own family history of mental illness. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/Gene-Intimate-History-Siddhartha-Mukherjee/dp/1476733503?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** book, health-medicine, medical-sciences ### 2. The Selfish Gene **Author:** Richard Dawkins Argues that natural selection is best understood as acting on genes rather than individuals or groups, with organisms as vehicles built to propagate them. Introduces the meme, and explains altruism, kin selection and evolutionarily stable strategies through game theory. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/Selfish-Gene-Anniversary-Landmark-Paperback/dp/0198788606?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** book, health-medicine, medical-sciences ### 3. Genetics: A Conceptual Approach **Author:** Benjamin A. Pierce Undergraduate textbook organized around core concepts rather than encyclopedic detail, moving from transmission genetics through molecular and population genetics. Worked problem sets build the ability to solve crosses, map genes, and interpret genetic data. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/1429276061?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, health-medicine, medical-sciences ### 4. Introduction to Genetic Analysis **Author:** Anthony J. F. Griffiths, Susan R. Wessler, Richard C. Lewontin, Sean B. Carroll Standard undergraduate text that teaches genetics through the experiments and analyses that established it, from Mendelian crosses to molecular and population genetics. Emphasizes reasoning from experimental data, with extensive problem sets after each chapter. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0716799022?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, science-research, biology ### 5. Human Molecular Genetics **Author:** Tom Strachan, Andrew Read Graduate-level text on the structure, function, and variation of the human genome, covering mapping, gene identification, and the molecular basis of mendelian and complex disease. Prepares readers to follow primary human genetics literature. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0815341849?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, health-medicine, medical-sciences ### 6. Genetics: From Genes to Genomes **Author:** Leland Hartwell, Leroy Hood, Michael L. Goldberg, Ann E. Reynolds, Lee M. Silver, Ruth C. Veres Undergraduate textbook that presents genetics from the gene outward to whole genomes, integrating mendelian, molecular, and population material with genomic analysis. Chapters on model organisms show how genetic experiments are designed and interpreted. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0072919302?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, science-research, biology --- *This content is part of Dantes.io - Your Treasure Map to Knowledge* *Curated by humans at Dantes.io. Personal study use welcome; republishing this curation requires permission (team@dantes.io).* View this page online: https://dantes.io/subject/genetics