DNA Landscape

Use the interactive below to explore the different ways that biologists draw DNA. 

The DNA Landscape is a framework developed to help learners understand how DNA-linked topics in biology are communicated through visual representations.  Read more about the DNA Landscape in CBE—Life Sciences Education.  

The DNA Landscape: An Interactive Website was developed by Kerstyn Gay, Crystal Uminski, Dina L. Newman, and L. Kate Wright at Rochester Institute of Technology. 

© 2024 CC BY-NC. 

This interactive works best on a large screen. 

Looking for more ways to engage with the DNA Landscape? 

Test your DNA visual literacy skills in the Twisted Ladder game! 

Build your visual literacy skills by playing three different mini-games. See how quickly can you distinguish between nucleotides, genes, and chromosomes. 

Try a  DNA Landscape card sort! 

Print and cut out the DNA Landscape cards for an engaging active learning activity you can use in class. Ask your students to work together in small groups to sort the cards. What patterns do they notice as they are sorting the cards? Challenge them to sort the cards by size (smallest to largest) and abstraction (most realistic to most abstract) and see if they can replicate the DNA Landscape matrix.