Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Python for Biologists by Dr. Martin Jones


    Let me begin by saying that Dr. Jones is a biologist who found computers to be essential in his work.  If you’re wondering how computers can possibly help you in the study of cells and diseases, then the answer lies in something that cells do; they duplicate!
    In biology, the same problems recur over and over again. This is where a computer language is needed. There are many applications for the use of Python in the study of biology, because of the repetitive nature of results. As opposed to C and Javascript, Python is more predictable, and widely used by scientists. It makes it easier for scientists to string together numbers and characters, the kind that you would need to do in DNA sequencing. 
    Dr. Jones uses the first chapter to do a brief intro, along with the difference between Perl and Python. For the second chapter, we get a fundamental lesson on manipulating texts, so that the computer can integrate who the text is for. Take for instance a command that is meant to be read by a person, rather than the computer. He shows how certain symbols can tell the computer to ignore the text.
   

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