Advances in computational power and algorithms have led to longer and more accurate molecular dynamics simulations of protein folding. But these approaches, because they are computationally intensive...
Jun, 06, 2012
Looking inside the cell without opening it
When light hits an obstacle, its scattering pattern reveals information regarding the internal structure of the obstacle. If that obstacle is a cell, the scattering pattern might indicate whether the...
Jun, 01, 2005
Computer models find that various ion channel arrangements can produce the same firing pattern
Each cell in our nervous system is an instrument in a complex symphony of electrophysiologic communication. A neuron’s signaling abilities arise from its array of ion channels—tunnels...
Jan, 01, 2007
Disentangling the different types of skeptics and what modelers can learn from each.
What are the telltale signs of a modeling talk at a biology conference? Just look for the sighs, shifting, and eye-rolling in the audience, says Donald C. Bolser, PhD, professor of physiological...
Jun, 05, 2012
Automated Function Prediction conference launches a new field
At the birth of a new field, a conference can act as a midwife, making sure the infant enters the world smoothly. Such was the case for the Automated Function Prediction (AFP) conference held at the...
Jan, 01, 2007
Diabetes, breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease. All are associated with several genes’ alleles interacting in complex ways with one another and the environment. Now,...
Jul, 01, 2007
Modelers should take the lead.
Many collaborators 1 with whom modelers2 work have little or no training in modeling3 and so it is natural that they may be cautious,...
Jun, 05, 2012
Words of Advice from the Scientists Featured in Profiles in Computer Science Courage
Find Your Passion
“Not every computer scientist will fall in love with the field like I did,...
Apr, 01, 2011
Imaging, geometric modeling, representation and computing of shapes and forms are important components of modern computational biology. These processes apply across wide spectra of scales,...
Oct, 03, 2012
Ontologies provide biomedical researchers with an inventory of the universal features of reality across organisms, biomedical disciplines, and levels of granularity. In capturing what is universal,...
Jul, 01, 2009