Computational tools help scientists solve problems and wrangle Big Data.
Written by KOREN WETMORE Illustration by DUNG HOANG
IN THIS INTERNET AGE, most of us can relate to the concept of information overload. But that’s nothing compared to the
data volume that bombards research scientists. Faced with 60 million DNA sequences or a record contain-
ing 750,000 data points, the last thing a biologist wants to do is perform an analysis using spreadsheets. Instead, to- day’s researcher reaches for computational and mathematical tools, producing models and scripts to process information at lightning speed. Such tools not only improve the pace at which research
moves but also broaden the scope of questions scientists can ask. “If we’re looking for new photoproteins or fl uorescent
proteins involved in how a jellyfi sh makes light, we can fi nd those easily now by sequencing an entire transcriptome of an organism,” says marine biologist Steve Haddock ’88. “Instead of saying, ‘We think it’s going to look like this, and we’re going to try and fi sh that gene out,’ we say, ‘What are all the genes this animal is expressing right now?’ It really allows you to think more about your science instead of your analysis.” Haddock often applies computational skills in his work
at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, where he studies how jellyfi sh and other deep-sea gelatinous creatures interact with light. His research involves describing species, building phylogenetic trees and working with the DNA sequences and chemicals the organisms use to produce light. “There’s obviously a lot of computation,” he says. “So, we’ll have a program that will do each of the steps: cleaning up the sequences, pulling out those that look like they should be used
COMPUTATIONAL AND MATHEMATICAL TOOLS IMPROVE THE PACE AT WHICH RESEARCH MOVES AND BROADEN THE SCOPE OF QUESTIONS SCIENTISTS CAN ASK.
SPRING 2013 Har vey Mudd College 19
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