PLoS Biology (Mar 2017)

All biology is computational biology.

  • Florian Markowetz

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2002050
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15, no. 3
p. e2002050

Abstract

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Here, I argue that computational thinking and techniques are so central to the quest of understanding life that today all biology is computational biology. Computational biology brings order into our understanding of life, it makes biological concepts rigorous and testable, and it provides a reference map that holds together individual insights. The next modern synthesis in biology will be driven by mathematical, statistical, and computational methods being absorbed into mainstream biological training, turning biology into a quantitative science.