Bioinformatics

Definition - 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.

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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