---
title: Genomics & Personal Genetics
description: Genomics reads whole genomes and personal genetics interprets yours. You will learn sequencing technologies, genome analysis, polygenic risk and ancestry, and the ethics of personal genetic data.
category: sciences
subcategory: biology
difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced
url: /subject/genomics-and-personal-genetics
---

# Genomics & Personal Genetics

Genomics reads whole genomes and personal genetics interprets yours. You will learn sequencing technologies, genome analysis, polygenic risk and ancestry, and the ethics of personal genetic data.

## Available Resources

2 Books • 1 Courses • 2 Websites

## Books

### 1. The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality

**Author:** Kathryn Paige Harden

Behavior geneticist Kathryn Paige Harden explains twin studies, GWAS, and polygenic indices for educational and behavioral outcomes, their limitations and population-specificity, and the ethical and policy questions they raise.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0691190801?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** behavioral-genetics, polygenic-scores, gwas, twin-studies, genetics-ethics

### 2. Population and Quantitative Genetics

**Author:** Graham Coop

Free open textbook from Graham Coop's UC Davis courses covering population structure and ancestry, relatedness, heritability, quantitative genetics, and the genetics behind GWAS and polygenic scores, with R code and interactive apps. Gives the mathematical basis for ancestry inference and polygenic risk that consumer reports skip.

**Difficulty:** Advanced | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://cooplab.github.io/popgen-notes/

**Tags:** population-genetics, quantitative-genetics, heritability, gwas, ancestry

## Websites

### 1. The Infinitesimal

**Author:** Sasha Gusev

Statistical geneticist Sasha Gusev's essays on heritability, GWAS, polygenic scores, and embryo selection, examining what genetic prediction can and cannot do and where popular and commercial claims overreach. Pairs well with Harden's book as a counterweight.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://theinfinitesimal.substack.com/

**Tags:** statistical-genetics, heritability, polygenic-scores, gwas, embryo-selection

### 2. Help Me Understand Genetics (MedlinePlus Genetics)

Illustrated primer from the US National Library of Medicine covering DNA, gene variants, inheritance, genetic testing, direct-to-consumer and ancestry tests, Neanderthal DNA, genomic research, and precision medicine, written for non-specialists. Best free, authoritative on-ramp; its DTC testing section explains what consumer results do and do not mean without company marketing.

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/

**Tags:** genetics-basics, inheritance, genetic-testing, direct-to-consumer-testing, precision-medicine

## Courses

### 1. Genomic Data Science Specialization

**Author:** Steven Salzberg, Ben Langmead, Mihaela Pertea, Kasper Daniel Hansen, Jeff Leek

The standard structured course for how genomes are sequenced and analyzed: six-course Johns Hopkins series on sequencing technologies, sequence alignment algorithms, Python and command-line genomics tools, Bioconductor, and statistics for genomic data. Individual courses can be audited free; the certificate is paid.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://www.coursera.org/specializations/genomic-data-science

**Tags:** genomic-data-science, bioinformatics, sequence-alignment, bioconductor, python

---

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