Chromosome X

I began this project with an explanation of the core concepts of chromosomes and how they work. With the main section, I wanted to create an interactive that told the story of the X chromosome. During my research, I discovered that there isn't really a unifying function this chromosome has. It holds DNA and genetic instructions for building many proteins with diverse functions. The X chromosome is unique though, because of something called "X chromosome inactivation" that my project explains. The X chromosome may not have a singular thematic role, but its story is varied and fascinating.

To create this interactive, I consolidated data from multiple sources of genetic information. Among them are: OMIM, an accessible compendium of human genes and genetic phenotypes, the NCBI "Gene" database, and the Genetics Home Reference site. I visualized this data using Processing, a programming environment based in Java.

The video below is a screen recorded demo of the interactive.