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Biology

Guide for CS majors and Biology majors

Biology is a technology-driven science. That is, biology relies on technology for the observation of biological phenomena. And biology relies on technology for the interpretation of data obtained from those observations.

In the 17th century, advances in optic technology enabled the invention of the microscope. This invention then lead to the discovery of cells and bacteria, fundamentally changing the course of biology as a scientific discipline. It would take another two hundred years - and many substantial improvements to microscope technology - before biologists began to view cells as the fundamental building blocks of life. Today, we take this assumption for granted.

Microscopes continue to play an important role in biology, but biologists have become interested in phenomena occurring at spatial scales too small to be observed with visible light. The development of x-ray technology made this possible. Its was this technology that lead to the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA and gave us first insights into the three-dimensional shape of proteins, the work horses of the cell. Once more, technology had fundamentally altered the course of biology: x-ray crystallography now is a standard technological tool for molecular biologists.

Current research in molecular biology has made tremendous advances based on X-ray crystallography and related "observation technologies." But like all technologies, these too have their limitations: the laws of physics. Many types of observations at the molecular level are out of reach for these techniques or very difficult to obtain. A new, more powerful technology will likely lead to new scientific leaps.

As computer scientists, we believe that computers will be this new technology. Computers will revolutionize biology. Actually, most biologists agree with this point of view. And there is convincing evidence in support of this claim. The sequencing of the human genome, for example, would not have been possible without computers to process and analyze massive amount of genetic data. In particular, the now-famous "shotgun sequencing" would not have been possible without computers. Today, genetics and many related sub-field of biology heavily rely on computational methods.

But that is not all: computers cannot only quickly process large amounts of experimental data and effectively identify patterns in that data, they can also simulate physics and thus eliminate the need to observe physics in the real world. Accurate computer simulations of bio-molecules, such as proteins, are now a standard technological tool in the repertoire of molecular biologists. These simulations have lead to many insights and hypotheses about the behavior of molecules and their interactions. This technology also enables the computer-aided design of drugs in the pharma industry. As a result, drugs have become better and are available faster. The application of computers to biology is saving lives!

Computers will become an indispensable tool for research in biology. Be at the forefront of your field! Become knowledgeable about the technology that promises to change the face of biology! Consider getting a minor or major in computer science!