About DNA Barcode Generator
What is DNA Barcoding?
DNA barcoding is a technique for identifying species using short, standardized regions of the genome, similar to how a product barcode uniquely identifies an item. By comparing these sequences across organisms, scientists can identify unknown specimens, study biodiversity, and detect food fraud or illegal wildlife trade.
The most widely used barcode gene for animals is COI (cytochrome oxidase subunit I), a mitochondrial gene that is well-conserved within species but variable enough between species to act as a reliable identifier. For bacteria and archaea, 16S rRNA is the standard.
How the Colors Work
Each nucleotide in the sequence is mapped to a color and rendered as a vertical bar. The full sequence becomes a unique visual fingerprint:
Data Source: NCBI Entrez
Species sequences are fetched from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) using their free Entrez E-utilities API. NCBI is a division of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and hosts the world's largest public database of DNA sequences (GenBank).
The API is free and publicly accessible. Searches are rate-limited to approximately 3 requests per second for unauthenticated users, which is more than enough for interactive use.
How to Use
- Search for a species by name (common or scientific) and select a gene type
- The top matching sequence loads automatically, or you can browse the full results list
- Click Generate Barcode to visualize the sequence
- Adjust the width slider to zoom in or out on the barcode
- Download the barcode as a PNG image