Chapter 1. Hello BLAST

Welcome to BLAST! This chapter offers a quick start guide to BLAST by exploring some Internet search pages. Throughout the chapter, you may encounter unfamiliar (or even frightening) terms. Don't panic. The terms are fully explained in later chapters or in the Glossary. You don't need to understand all the concepts to get the most out of this chapter. If you're already a seasoned BLAST user, feel free to skip this introduction and dive right into the later sections.