ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

HMMER

Hmmer is a special tool used by scientists to study DNA and proteins. It helps them figure out how similar two different pieces of DNA or protein are to each other. It's kind of like a detective that looks for clues and tries to match them up.

Let's say you have two proteins, protein A and protein B, and you want to know if they are similar. You can use Hmmer to compare the two proteins and see if they share the same patterns or shapes. Hmmer looks at each protein molecule and breaks it down into tiny parts called amino acids.

Hmmer compares the amino acids in protein A to those in protein B and sees if they match up. Then it gives them a score based on how similar they are. If they have a high score, that means they are very similar. If they have a low score, that means they are different.

Scientists use Hmmer to help them understand how different species are related to each other. They can compare the DNA or proteins of different animals, plants, or microorganisms and see how they evolved over time. They can also use Hmmer to study diseases and find new treatments.

In summary, Hmmer is a helpful tool that allows scientists to compare DNA and protein sequences to see how similar they are, helping them gain insights into evolution, diseases and treatments.