Computing Life is an NIGMS magazine that showcases the exciting ways that scientists are using the power of computers to expand our knowledge of biology and medicine. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/ en-us Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/images/cover.jpg http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/ Computing Life is an NIGMS magazine that showcases the exciting ways that scientists are using the power of computers to expand our knowledge of biology and medicine. As a drug binds to a protein to lower cholesterol or inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells, it also brushes up against thousands of other molecules. These on- and off-target interactions determine a drug's beneficial effect as well as its side effects. Now, a team of pharmaceutical chemists has devised a method for predicting a drug's close contacts inside the body, providing a new way to identify unwanted interactions and novel therapeutic targets. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/predict_sideeffects.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/predict_sideeffects.htm Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EDT Drs. Jeremy Berg, Peter Lyster and Sarah Dunsmore talk about the role of math in studying biology. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/multimedia/captions/mathbio-captions.html http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/multimedia/captions/mathbio-captions.html Mon, 2 Nov 2009 14:30:00 EST Researchers built a microscopic scaffold and developed a computer model to study how tissues stretch and contract in our bodies. Their findings—which show that contractile forces vary throughout a stretched tissue—could have a wide range of medical applications. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/stretch_detectors.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/stretch_detectors.htm Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:30:00 EST Researchers have built the first mathematical model of a type of chronic wound that can lead to amputation and even death. The new model will help researchers answer questions about wounds and how best to treat them. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/wound_heal.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/wound_heal.htm Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:30:00 EST Like cartographers including mountain peaks or river channels to give dimension to a flat map, a research team has used computational modeling to add a third dimension--protein structures--to its map of a metabolic network. The new picture could lead to insights about basic biology and evolution. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/metabolic_networks.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/metabolic_networks.htm Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:30:00 EST Why is it important to model the dynamics of infectious disease spread? What are the benefits and limitations of these models? How do computer modelers work together with public health officials? Director Irene Eckstrand answers these questions and more as the Models of Infectious Disease Agent Study, or MIDAS, celebrates its fifth anniversary. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/fiveyears_midas.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/fiveyears_midas.htm Thu, 3 Sep 2009 14:30:00 EST Read about the new research groups that will help the nation—and the world—understand and prepare for contagious outbreaks. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/midas_profiles.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/midas_profiles.htm Thu, 3 Sep 2009 14:30:00 EST In the emerging field of policy informatics, computer scientists are giving public health planners the tools to model disease spread and control. By comparing possible intervention strategies in computer simulations, policymakers can arrive at better-informed decisions about how to combat the H1N1 outbreak. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/policy_informatics.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/policy_informatics.htm Mon, 24 Aug 2009 10:30:00 EST Biomedical research has gotten messy. Scientists in different labs and disciplines use different terms for what they’re studying, and their results aren’t always consistently labeled. Other scientists trying to compare this information don’t necessarily know what they’re looking at. Computer programmers want to help clean up—and they're doing it by building virtual libraries called ontologies. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/ontology.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/ontology.htm Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:30:00 EST Where do biologists, physicists, chemists and computer scientists meet? Not just at interdepartmental parties, but in systems biology centers that are springing up across the country. Researchers combine experiments with computer simulation to better understand cell processes and organisms on a holistic level. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/cells_circuits.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/cells_circuits.htm Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST Nature is a prolific source of new medicines, but turning its products into drugs is labor-intensive and time-consuming. New computational tools could make it easier to study and rapidly determine whether natural compounds collected in oceans and forests are potential new candidates for drug development. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/new_drugs.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/new_drugs.htm Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EST The popular social networking site has given researchers a leg up on studying the spread of H1N1 and other potential infectious diseases. Researchers posted questions on Facebook and later developed a survey to capture people’s reactions to the actual outbreak. The results ultimately will help them model how changes in decision-making influence patterns of disease spread. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/facebook_swineflu.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/facebook_swineflu.htm Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EST What’s the difference between you and a chimp? Genetically speaking, virtually nothing. The tiny genetic difference between us and our nearest animal relatives is responsible for our nimble hands, unique voice boxes and larger brains. And now scientists have now identified the DNA bits that could give us our unique traits. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/compare_genome.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/compare_genome.htm Thu, 21 May 2009 08:00:00 EST As the recent flu outbreak continues to capture our attention, the seasonal flu season in the southern hemisphere is about to start. Read about a new technique for tracing the global spread of flu. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/follow_flu.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/follow_flu.htm Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:00:00 EST Our cells are constantly bombarded with chemical messages. Inside the cells, complex signaling networks interpret the messages to make life-and-death decisions. To find out how these decisions are made, scientists turned to a technique developed in the 1960s and applied in auto-focusing cameras and cruise control in cars. It’s called fuzzy logic. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/fuzzymodel.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/fuzzymodel.htm Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:00:00 EsT Ravi Iyengar says his favorite hobby is science. Good thing it’s also his full-time job. Trained as a biochemist, Iyengar has spent much of his career studying molecules and developing a list of all the parts that help a cell function. Now he is committed to figuring out how and why those parts work together. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/iyengar.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/iyengar.htm Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:00:00 EDT You've probably noticed how diverse peoples' sleep patterns are. There are night people and morning people, those who cat nap and those who can't stand the thought of a day time snooze. A new study in fruit flies suggests that an individual's sleep habits may be hardwired in their genes. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/sleeppattern.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/sleeppattern.htm Wed, 18 Mar 2009 10:00:00 EDT Every year, two million Americans start taking a drug called warfarin. The amount each person needs varies greatly, and doctors typically use a trial and error approach to determine the appropriate dose for each patient. Thanks to mathematical modeling, researchers may have a gene-based approach that could quickly identify each person’s optimal dose. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/mathblood.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/mathblood.htm Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:00:00 EDT Automakers use steel scraps to build cars, construction companies repurpose tires to lay running tracks and now scientists are reusing previously discarded medical data to better understand our complex physiology. Through a Web site called PhysioNet, they can find important health information to shed light on the health of our hearts, minds and bodies. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/signals.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/signals.htm Mon, 2 Feb 2009 10:00:00 EDT While you were busy making holiday shopping lists and checking them twice, we at Computing Life]]> were busy compiling another list: reasons to develop computational or mathematical models. The list includes just 10 of the reasons expert Joshua Epstein gave to anthropologists, psychologists, neurobiologists, and others who met recently to talk about modeling social behavior. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/tenreasons.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/tenreasons.htm Wed, 7 Jan 2009 11:00:00 EDT Run your tongue across your teeth. Unless you've brushed recently, you probably feel a slimy residue. It’s a well-organized collection of bacteria called a biofilm. But how do these communities form? Watch]]> a computer simulation developed by researchers at the University of California, San Diego that shows how a handful of bacteria can turn into a very orderly arrangement. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/metropolis.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/metropolis.htm Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EDT Like a cannonball shooting through the air, bacteria follow similar mathematical rules as they shuttle through blood vessels. By using these rules to model where they go, emergency medicine researcher and doctor John Younger hopes to give us a better understanding of bacterial bloodstream infections--and teach his students that math is vital to understanding disease. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/tracking.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/tracking.htm Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:00:00 EDT Around 150,000 people per year get African sleeping sickness but the only medicines to treat it are either difficult to administer, expensive, or toxic. Now, a team of scientists has put computers to work to find a solution. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/virtual.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/virtual.htm Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EDT Two minds are often better than one, and the same goes for scientific techniques. Researchers who experiment in the lab are finding that computational methods can help them solve biological problems. Enzymologist Lizbeth Hedstrom and computational biochemist Wei Yang joined forces to open a window into the mysteries of evolution. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/teamwork.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/teamwork.htm Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:00:00 EDT Penicillin was discovered by accident when mold drifted down on a petri dish and killed bacteria on it. Today, researchers can use computers to identify new therapeutic compounds, making drug discovery faster and cheaper. But as with most technologies, there's always room for improvement. By getting back to the basics, a new project plans to give computer-aided drug design a boost. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/drugchemistry.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/drugchemistry.htm Thu, 9 Oct 2008 09:00:00 EDT Researchers use models for many reasons, like predicting how a living system behaves or exploring questions nearly impossible to answer in the lab. Alissa Weaver uses them to generate new hypotheses--and results. Her latest work could explain why women with denser breast tissue typically have more aggressive tumors. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/modeling.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/modeling.htm Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:00:00 EDT Test your knowledge of computational biology by taking this fun and interactive quiz]]>, which was originally developed as a learning tool for students who use free NIGMS publications]]> like Computing Life]]> to understand scientific concepts. You can find all the answers by reading the featured topics below. Need the accessible version]]>? http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/classroom/quiz/ http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/classroom/quiz/ Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:00:00 EDT When we walk, muscles and nerves interact in intricate ways to let us take a step. This simulation, which is based on data from a 6-foot-tall man, shows what happens. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/walking.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/walking.htm Wed, 27 Aug 2008 09:00:00 EDT When Colombian Gus Rosania came to the United States for college, he never thought he'd be a pharmaceutical scientist living in Michigan. Today he studies how small drug molecules make their way to the right cellular target and produce the desired effect. Read the Q&A to find out how he's using computational tools to help speed drug discovery. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/rosania.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/rosania.htm Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT Computer simulations allow researchers to study patterns of genetic variation in modern populations by making inferences about past events. Hear how one scientist is using this method to determine when some of us developed the ability to digest milk. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/multimedia/captions/tishkoff-captions.html http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/multimedia/captions/tishkoff-captions.html Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:00:00 EDT New research is unveiling predator-prey interactions in a place much smaller than the Serengeti--a petri dish. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/predator.htm http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/computinglife/predator.htm Wed, 9 Jul 2008 11:00:00 EDT