You took a test and do not understand it
Percentages and risk factors with no context.
Courses
See what you would learn
Understand DNA, inheritance and what genetic tests can really tell you.
A course on genetics for people who do not remember school biology. It covers what DNA is, how traits pass on, what genes do and do not determine, and how to read the claims of consumer genetic tests.
Open Cadence on the App Store, type the sentence when it asks what you want to learn, and answer a few setup questions. Free to start. Android testers can request early access.
Type this when Cadence asks what you want to learn
I want to understand genetics: what DNA is, how traits are inherited, what genetic tests can and cannot tell me. Explain it without assuming I remember school biology.
Change any word so it fits your situation. The course is built from what you type and a few setup questions.
- Best for
- Science & nature
- Prerequisites
- None. Bring the situation you have.
- Course length
- 7 to 30 lessons, sized to your goal
- Lesson pace
- About 10 minutes a day
- Format
- Read it, or play the audio
- Access
- Available on the App Store, with early features and Android testing access
Before the course is built
Setup asks about your situation first.
Lesson 1 opens on the moment you describe, and the examples use your role. For this request, expect questions like these.
- What prompts this: a test, a family history, the news, or curiosity?
- How much biology do you remember?
- Is there a specific claim or result you want to understand?
Right for now
If any of this sounds familiar, start here.
Something runs in your family
And you want to know what that actually means.
You hear gene for everything
Intelligence, happiness, crime, and you doubt it.
Course arc
Where the course goes, in order.
Cadence writes the lessons for you, so the exact path follows your answers. This is the ground a course built from this sentence covers.
01 / 06What DNA is
The molecule, the code and how it is read.
Inheritance
How traits pass from parents to children, and why siblings differ.
Genes and environment
What genes influence, what they do not, and why it is never just one.
Genes for X
Why the headline is almost always wrong.
Genetic tests
Ancestry, health risk and what the percentages mean.
Ethics and the future
Editing, screening and the questions ahead.
What changes
What you will be able to do, and what you will stop believing.
You will be able to
Explain the basics
Describe DNA, genes and inheritance in plain terms.
Know what genes determine
Understand the difference between genetic influence and genetic destiny.
Read test results
Interpret ancestry and health claims with appropriate scepticism.
Ideas this course corrects
Genes determine who you are
Genes influence, usually a little, usually alongside environment. Determine is almost never the right word.
A genetic test tells you your future
It tells you slightly adjusted odds for some conditions. It is a weather forecast, not a prophecy.
Course questions
What to know before you start.
Is this a fixed course?
No. Cadence builds the course when you type the sentence and answer a few setup questions, so the lessons follow your situation. This page describes what a course built from this request covers. You see the whole path before Lesson 1.
Who is this course for?
A course on genetics for people who do not remember school biology. It covers what DNA is, how traits pass on, what genes do and do not determine, and how to read the claims of consumer genetic tests. It sits under Science & nature in the Ideas & discovery part of the library.
Do I need any prior experience?
No. Setup asks what you already know and where you want to use it, and the course starts from there. Bring a real situation if you have one; the examples are built around it.
How long does it take?
Courses run 7 to 30 lessons of about 10 minutes, sized to what you asked for. One lesson a day is the intended pace, and you can go faster. Lessons can be read or played as audio.
Does this course award a certificate or degree?
No. Cadence is for practical self-learning and does not award accredited degrees or professional certification.
Start today
Type it, answer a few questions, open Lesson 1.
The sentence to type
I want to understand genetics: what DNA is, how traits are inherited, what genetic tests can and cannot tell me. Explain it without assuming I remember school biology.
Open Cadence on the App Store, type the sentence when it asks what you want to learn, and answer a few setup questions. Free to start. Android testers can request early access.