Posts tagged bioinformatics
Decoding ‘Mad snake disease’
Aug 28th
A boa constrictor with IBD, "mad snake disease".
Have you ever seen a sick boa constrictor? All of a sudden they start shedding, develop head tremors and secondary infections, twisting up into knots and wasting away. These poor animals may have acquired a fatal infectious disease called inclusion body disease (IBD). The disease can rapidly progress to the nervous system, with behavioral abnormalities such as disorientation, corkscrewing of the head and neck, holding the head in unnatural positions, or rolling onto the back. Affected snakes either die quickly or starve slowly over several years. The disease was first observed in captive snakes More >
Online Graduate Education in Biotechnology
Jul 6th
I recently blogged about harnessing the power of bioinformatics for cancer research. An interested reader, Linda Zabriske, commented that the blogosphere (and government organizations such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics) has been gradually filling with talk about cancer research and its role in our future. Linda’s tool, the Online Graduate Programs, collates some of these articles and ideas and she’s co-written this month’s post with me, reflecting on Online Graduate Education in Biotechnology.
In past decades, the field of biological science and engineering were considered separate and distinct. Biology dealt with the complexities and wonders of humans, animals and plants, More >
What is Bioinformatics?
May 8th
Bioinformatics is a relatively new field and as such, many people aren’t exactly sure what “bioinformatics” really is.
The NIH Biomedical Information Science and Technology Initiative defines bioinformatics as:
“Research, development, or application of computational tools and approaches for expanding the use of biological, medical, behavioral or health data, including those to acquire, store, organize, archive, analyze, or visualize such data.”
Still confused? Don’t fret, most people are when they hear that definition. I usually like to tell people:
“Bioinformatics combines the latest technology with biological research.”
Over the past decade or so, and even prior, computers have become an integral part of every industry. Biological More >
