Chromosome walking, also known as genome walking or gene walking, is a molecular biology technique used to isolate and sequence unknown regions of DNA sequences. Synonyms for chromosome walking include contiguous extension, navigational cloning, artificial modification, and molecular beacons. Contiguous extension refers to the method of extending a DNA sequence one fragment at a time, while navigational cloning involves using markers to locate and isolate specific genes. Artificial modification suggests the use of artificial means to modify the DNA sequence and molecular beacons refer to the use of fluorescent probes to locate specific regions of DNA. All of these synonyms refer to the same or similar techniques essential to genome walking and advancing research in the molecular biology field.