The exponential increase in sequencing data calls for conceptual and computational advances to extract useful biological insights. One such advance, minimizers, allows for reducing the quantity of data handled while maintaining some of its key properties. We provide a basic introduction to minimizers, cover recent methodological developments, and review the diverse applications of minimizers to analyze genomic data, including de novo genome assembly, metagenomics, read alignment, read correction, and pangenomes. We also touch on alternative data sketching techniques including universal hitting sets, syncmers, or strobemers. Minimizers and their alternatives have rapidly become indispensable tools for handling vast amounts of data.

中文翻译：

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少即是多：在基因组学中使用最小化器绘制草图


测序数据的指数级增长需要概念和计算的进步，以提取有用的生物学见解。其中一项进步是 minimizers，它允许在保持其一些关键属性的同时减少处理的数据量。我们提供了最小化器的基本介绍，涵盖了最近的方法学发展，并回顾了最小化器在分析基因组数据方面的各种应用，包括从头基因组组装、宏基因组学、读取比对、读取校正和泛基因组。我们还涉及替代数据草图技术，包括通用打击集、同步器或频闪器。最小化器及其替代品已迅速成为处理大量数据不可或缺的工具。