Abstract
Methods and techniques play an essential role in explicating complex processes that occur inside the cell. Methods for studying genomes fall under two categories, destructive and nondestructive. Techniques such as Chromosome Conformation Capture belongs to the former class, whereas some types of fluorescence microscopy belong to the latter. We have discussed the principles of techniques that belong to both categories. A significant part of this chapter also deals with methods that elucidate the genome function. Techniques such as chemical genetics, transcriptomics, gene knockdown, and genome editing fall under this category. Chemical principles are the bedrock on which these techniques stand. Our primary focus was on the physical and chemical principles of these methods, and readers may find a more detailed description elsewhere.