An Introduction to Programming for Bioscientists: A Python-Based Primer

Computing has revolutionized the biological sciences over the past several decades, such that virtually all contemporary research in molecular biology, biochemistry, and other biosciences utilizes computer programs. The computational advances have come on many fronts, spurred by fundamental developm...

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Published in:PLoS computational biology Vol. 12; no. 6; p. e1004867
Main Authors: Ekmekci, Berk, McAnany, Charles E., Mura, Cameron
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Public Library of Science 01.06.2016
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Subjects:
Algorithms
Bioinformatics
Biology
Biology and Life Sciences
Computational biology
Computational Biology - methods
Computer and Information Sciences
Computer Simulation
Computers
Concrete
Data mining
Datasets
Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA
Ecosystem biology
Ecosystems
Education
Educational aspects
Educational programs
Engineering and Technology
Language
Management
Medical research
Models, Biological
Molecular biology
Physical Sciences
Programming Languages
Proteins
Research and Analysis Methods
Researchers
Semantics
Social Sciences
Software
Studies
ISSN:1553-7358, 1553-734X, 1553-7358
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Computing has revolutionized the biological sciences over the past several decades, such that virtually all contemporary research in molecular biology, biochemistry, and other biosciences utilizes computer programs. The computational advances have come on many fronts, spurred by fundamental developments in hardware, software, and algorithms. These advances have influenced, and even engendered, a phenomenal array of bioscience fields, including molecular evolution and bioinformatics; genome-, proteome-, transcriptome- and metabolome-wide experimental studies; structural genomics; and atomistic simulations of cellular-scale molecular assemblies as large as ribosomes and intact viruses. In short, much of post-genomic biology is increasingly becoming a form of computational biology. The ability to design and write computer programs is among the most indispensable skills that a modern researcher can cultivate. Python has become a popular programming language in the biosciences, largely because (i) its straightforward semantics and clean syntax make it a readily accessible first language; (ii) it is expressive and well-suited to object-oriented programming, as well as other modern paradigms; and (iii) the many available libraries and third-party toolkits extend the functionality of the core language into virtually every biological domain (sequence and structure analyses, phylogenomics, workflow management systems, etc.). This primer offers a basic introduction to coding, via Python, and it includes concrete examples and exercises to illustrate the language's usage and capabilities; the main text culminates with a final project in structural bioinformatics. A suite of Supplemental Chapters is also provided. Starting with basic concepts, such as that of a "variable," the Chapters methodically advance the reader to the point of writing a graphical user interface to compute the Hamming distance between two DNA sequences.
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The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
ISSN:1553-7358
1553-734X
1553-7358
DOI:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004867