An Introduction to Bioinformatics is intended to be a complete study companion for the advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate student. It is self-contained in the sense that whatever the starting point may be, the reader will gain insight into bioinformatics. Underlying the work is the belief that bioinformatics is a kind of metaphoric lens through which the entire field of biology can be brought into focus, admittedly as yet imperfect, and understood in a unified way. Reflecting the highly incomplete present state of the field, emphasis is placed on the underlying fundamentals and acquisitions of a broad and comprehensive grasp of the field as a whole.
Bioinformatics is interpreted as the application of information science to biology, in which it plays a fundamental and all-pervasive role. This interpretation enables a remarkably unified view of the entire field of biology to be taken and hence offers an excellent entry point into the life sciences for those for whom biology is unfamiliar.
The field of bioinformatics continues to develop energetically. This comprehensive second edition covers new findings using the successful formula of the original text. Bioinformatics: An Introduction is structured into three parts devoted to Information, Biology and Applications. Every section of the book has been thoroughly updated, and expanded where relevant, to take account of significant new discoveries and realizations of the importance of certain concepts. Furthermore new chapters on Algorithms, Data Processing and Biotechnology have been added. Emphasis is placed on the underlying fundamentals and acquisitions of a broad and comprehensive grasp of the field as a whole. This second edition is intended to be a complete study companion for the advanced undergraduate or graduate student. It is self-contained, bringing together the multiple disciplines necessary for a profound grasp of the field into a coherent whole, allowing the reader to gain much insight into the state of art of bioinformatics.