Title
Computational biology: its challenges past, present, and future
Abstract
The recognition of the role of mathematics and computer science in modern biology has led to new terminology, as did chemistry with biochemistry, and physics with biophysics. We need to think only of bioinformatics, computational biology, and even system biology and genomics for example. These terms seem to strongly suggest that this is all rather new. Yet a short review of the work of those such as J.B.S. Haldane, Sewell Wright, DArcy Thompson and R.A. Fisher, to say nothing of scientists like Luria and Delbrueck or Hodgkin and Huxley or Thomas Hunt Morgan, is useful. Their work and foresight set the stage for modern applications of mathematical modeling and statistics in the biological sciences. It has often been said that the only difference between now and then is the increase in data-a lot more data. This is clearly not the full story. In addition, we have computational power unimaginable to these earlier researchers, as well as to anyone only forty years ago. So what are our challenges? Some are clear, including the modeling and analysis of biologys complex systems such as a cells signaling, metabolic and differentiation. Also needed are analysis and models of complex neural systems and ecological structures. The latter, for example, will require a nearly full revamping of the early field of population genetics and evolution in order to exploit both modern genomics and new field studies of multiple species and environmental interactions. And there will be more, much of which will only become apparent as new data and questions arise. One example would be RNAi and micro-arrays inducing the development of new analysis tools.
Year
DOI
Venue
2008
10.1007/978-3-540-78839-3_1
RECOMB
Keywords
Field
DocType
challenges past,modern biology,modern genomics,biologys complex system,modern application,new analysis tool,system biology,computational biology,new data,new terminology,new field study,nucleic acid,protein sequence,biomedical engineering,sequence alignment,college of engineering,mathematical model,complex system,amino acid sequence,cell signaling,field study,population genetics,genetics,ribosomal protein
Complex system,Nothing,Terminology,Computer science,Systems biology,Exploit,Genomics,Futures studies,Bioinformatics,Computational biology,Genetics,Wright
Conference
ISBN
Citations 
PageRank 
3-540-78838-7
1
0.36
References 
Authors
1
1
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Temple F. Smith113973.26