Finding Frequent DNA Sequences and K-Mers Using Sorting Algorithms

Identifying patterns in DNA is a fundamental challenge in bioinformatics, essential for locating replication origins and understanding genetic functions. This course introduces you to the core algorithmic concepts used to find frequent DNA patterns, known as k-mers, using efficient sorting techniques. By reading through these structured text lessons, you will transition from a beginner to confidently writing and analyzing basic bioinformatics algorithms. You will understand how to manipulate genomic strings, apply sorting methods to group identical sequences, and evaluate the performance of your code. What you'll learn: Understand foundational genomic concepts, including DNA strings, k-mers, and frequent words; Implement sorting-based algorithms to group and count identical DNA subsequences; Analyze the time and space complexity of different counting methods using Big O notation; Write clean, readable code with modern type hints for genomic data structures; Apply basic testing practices to verify the correctness of your bioinformatics algorithms. You will start with the absolute basics of genetic sequences before moving step-by-step through algorithm design, practical code implementations, and optimization strategies. This text-only course is designed for beginners in bioinformatics and programming, requiring no advanced prior knowledge of biology or computer science. Start exploring the intersection of computer science and biology today.