Northern blotting is a technique to detect specific RNA sequences. It involves separating RNA samples by size through agarose gel electrophoresis, blotting the RNA onto a membrane, then using a labeled probe to detect the RNA of interest through autoradiography or chemiluminescence. Northern blotting is used to study gene expression at the mRNA level, detect transcript size and splicing, and confirm transgenic and knockout animal models. While it provides information about RNA expression patterns, it is less sensitive than newer techniques and quality can be affected by RNA degradation.