Since 1978, molecular biologists have been sequencing the DNA of various organisms on this planet. A good example of this work is the recent announcement of complete sequencing of the human genome. The amount of sequenced DNA that has been collected and stored in databases for retrieval analysis is astonishing. One public repository of sequence data, GENBANK, stores over 10 billion base pairs. Clearly, computers will be required to assist scientists in the analysis of this data.
This talk will introduce computer scientists to the field of bioinformatics. It will begin with a short discussion of the basics of molecular biology, and then will discuss the human genome project and how computers fit into the post-genomic era.
Colloquia Series page.