Genetic analysis. Researcher observing fluorescent samples of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid, coloured spots) on a glass slide, forming a DNA microarray (also called a DNA chip or gene array). DNA is the genetic cellular material that is a fundamental basis of the biochemistry of life. The microarray can be used to investigate and compare the properties of thousands of genes at once, a process known as expression profiling. Photographed in 2003, at the Centre de Bioingenierie Gilbert Durand, Toulouse, France.