NA ▁sequences . ▁A ▁B LA ST ▁search ▁enables ▁a ▁research er ▁to ▁compare ▁a ▁subject ▁protein ▁or ▁nucle ot ide ▁sequence ▁( called ▁a ▁query ) ▁with ▁a ▁library ▁or ▁database ▁of ▁sequences , ▁and ▁identify ▁library ▁sequences ▁that ▁res emble ▁the ▁query ▁sequence ▁above ▁a ▁certain ▁threshold . ▁ ▁D ifferent ▁types ▁of ▁B LA ST s ▁are ▁available ▁according ▁to ▁the ▁query ▁sequences ▁and ▁the ▁target ▁databases . ▁For ▁example , ▁following ▁the ▁discovery ▁of ▁a ▁previously ▁unknown ▁gene ▁in ▁the ▁mouse , ▁a ▁scient ist ▁will ▁typically ▁perform ▁a ▁B LA ST ▁search ▁of ▁the ▁human ▁gen ome ▁to ▁see ▁if ▁humans ▁carry ▁a ▁similar ▁gene ; ▁B LA ST ▁will ▁identify ▁sequences ▁in ▁the ▁human ▁gen ome ▁that ▁res emble ▁the ▁mouse ▁gene ▁based ▁on ▁similarity ▁of ▁sequence . ▁ ▁Background ▁ ▁B LA ST , ▁which ▁The ▁New ▁York ▁Times ▁called ▁the ▁Google ▁of ▁bi ological ▁research , ▁is ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁most ▁widely ▁used ▁bio in format ics ▁programs ▁for ▁sequence ▁searching . ▁It ▁addresses ▁a ▁fundamental ▁problem ▁in ▁bio in format ics ▁research . ▁The ▁he ur istic ▁algorithm ▁it ▁uses ▁is ▁much ▁faster ▁than ▁other ▁approaches , ▁such ▁as ▁calculating ▁an ▁optimal ▁alignment . ▁This ▁emphas is ▁on ▁speed ▁is ▁vital ▁to ▁making ▁the ▁algorithm ▁practical ▁on ▁the ▁huge ▁gen ome ▁databases ▁currently ▁available , ▁although ▁subsequent ▁algorithms ▁can ▁be ▁even ▁faster . ▁ ▁Before ▁B LA ST , ▁FA ST A ▁was ▁developed ▁by ▁David ▁J . ▁Lip man ▁and ▁William ▁R .