Bioinformatics

What Does Bioinformatics Mean?

Bioinformatics refers to the use of computer science, statistical modelling and algorithmic processing to understand biological data. Bioinformatics is an example of how computer science has revolutionized other fields.

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Techopedia Explains Bioinformatics

Simply put, bioinformatics applies modern computing and analytical techniques to biological information. Bioinformatics is used heavily in fields that require processing techniques for large data sets, such as sequencing a genome. Bioinformatics is also used in the pharmaceutical industry to identify molecular combinations that are more likely to yield useful drugs.

There are many natural links between biology and computer science, resulting in other exciting fields of study like artificial neural networks (ANN), DNA computing, evolutionary programming and so on. The exact definition of bioinformatics is not always clear, however, as all biological research and studies depend on computers to some extent.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…