ISSUE 113 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010 CONTENTS The universe in a C shell NEWS
Plant species research aided by modelling; informatics platform introduced at London hospital; Accelrys completes merger with Symyx
INFORMATION OVERLOAD 8
Felix Grant looks at how statistics packages can be applied to data mining
COPING WITH GENOMICS 12
Greg Blackman assesses the impact on data volumes of the emerging fi eld of genomics
MODELLING FOR HUMANS 16
Paul Schreier explores the capabilities now available in human biological modelling
NEW PRODUCTS DIARY DATES SUPPLIERS’ DIRECTORY INSIDE VIEW
Simon Wood, director of marketing and training for Starlims
39 45 45 46 HPC Products
A brief update of the latest HPC software and hardware
Storage plans
Paul Schreier on improving links between storage data and memory
Beyond the skies 32
Stephen Mounsey on the application of HPC technology to astrophysics and cosmology
HPC Director
Dona Crawford, associate director for computation at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
EDITORIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM Editor: Warren Clark (
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36 27 32 4 The computer as healer HPC PROJECTS
A section for users and managers of HPC systems
HPC News
The latest news in high-performance computing
22 20 16 LEADER
Diversity in science The breadth of topics that Scientifi c Computing World covers on an issue- by-issue basis is highlighted in the range of articles in this edition. From the exploration of the universe, to the analysis of DNA strands, computing has made such a difference to the scientifi c research process that it seems impossible to imagine how any science was ‘done’ before computers came along. In terms of size, the universe is fi nite but unbounded; in terms of research possibilities, it is all but limitless. High-performance computing has made projects about which scientists of a generation ago could only dream into a reality, as Stephen Mounsey discovers on page 32.
The science of DNA, by contrast, has only been in existence for 60 years, and researchers are still only at the beginning of their journey of discovery. It’s already a decade since the Human Genome Project was completed, and the cost of sequencing a complete human genome has plummeted to around $10k – largely thanks to the sophistication of scientifi c computing, as Greg Blackman explores on page 12. Arguably as complex as the universe, and constructed on the building blocks of DNA, is the human body itself. Software has had its part to play here as well, with the medical profession now able to simulate the impact of various conditions on humans via biological modelling. The effect on diagnosis and treatment could be staggering, as Paul Schreier investigates on page 16. To keep up to date with the latest news and applications of scientifi c computing, be sure to sign up to our free email newsletters, SCNewsline and HPCNewsline, by subscribing at
www.scientifi
c-computing.com/subscribe. Warren Clark
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c-computing.com SCIENTIFIC COMPUTING WORLD AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010 3
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