ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Sequencing

Hello kiddo, sequencing is like putting things in order. Do you remember when you had to put numbers in order from 1 to 10 for your math homework? That's sequencing too!

In science, sequencing means figuring out the order of building blocks that make up things like DNA, which are like a recipe for making a living thing. Instead of numbers, we use letters to represent the different building blocks, which are called nucleotides. There can be billions of these nucleotides in DNA!

Scientists use special machines called sequencers to read the order of these nucleotides in DNA. It's like writing down the letters in a secret message so we can figure out what it says. By figuring out the sequence of DNA, scientists can learn more about the genetic code that controls how living things look and grow.

So sequencing is a way of putting things like numbers or letters in order, and in science, it helps us understand the building blocks that make all living things.