What is Bioinformatics?

Bioinformatics involves the use of computers and other techology to assist in handling and processing biological data to solve problems. It is an interdisciplinary approach that commonly integrates aspects of applied mathematics, statistics, computer science, chemistry and biology. 

One of the best known bioinformatics projects is the Human Genome Project, wherein many researchers worked together to 'sequence' all of the base pairs that make up DNA and to map the more than 25,000 genes in the nucleus of a haploid cell. This enormous task employed the use of specially developed programs to process and store experimental data at various stages and took several months of CPU time on a supercomputer. In turn, the information made available in the Human Genome Project's database now acts as the foundation for a great deal of current medical research and is responsible for enormous advances in medicine.

Further research is still being done in relationship to understanding genetics, but additional areas of study are also available. Current research deals with diverse biological study from determining molecular structure to understanding ancestry and evolution, from protein structure prediction to the development of novel drugs.