Introduction
The Internet and Computer Technology is used a lot in everyday life. In today’s society it is hard to go to a place where there isn’t Computer Technology present. Many professions include the use of the Internet and Computer Technology especially in Biology. Within Biology, there are some branches that rely heavily on the use of Internet and Computer Technology. If there were not the Internet and Computer Technology, it would be very hard for biologists to have such significant findings in life. The technology that is used applies the science for a specific purpose. With the Internet and Computer Technology, there have been many advances in the biological sciences in the past and there are more uses for it in the future. The Internet and Computer Technology is so important in biology that some of the most important findings today would probably not have been discovered if it weren’t for the two working together. The future is going to be seeing a lot of biology and technology working together to make things easier, to produce desired results, and to keep up with the modern age of society. Looking at the way society lives, technology is seen in most places. As generations go on, so does the advances of the Internet and Computer Technology. Bioinformatics, Computer Forensics, Genomics, and more are all part of Biology but relies heavily on the Internet and Computer Technology. There are so many advantages of having the two working together such as computers can multitask, store information in data bases, keep medical records online, and keep up with today’s society. There are also disadvantages that come along with it such as computers being at a high cost, it is easy to lose data, there can be a lot of maintenance, and keeping the technology modern. Although there are many advantages and disadvantages, it still comes down to the point that branches in Biology has been impacted by the Internet and Computer Technology and will still be impacted in the future. The way people live is always going to change because people change and more uses are needed for people in order to live and to advance.
Background
In this information technology age, computers were used in Biology in the last decade and made many new advances. One branch in Biology is Bioinformatics. According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, Bioinformatics is “the collection, classification, storage, and analysis of biochemical and biological information using computers especially as applied to molecular genetics and genomics”(Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary). Basically, Bioinformatics needs the use of the Internet and Computer Technology to perform its functions. A famous use in Bioinformatics is the use of genetic databases which would involve another branch in Biology, which is Genomics. Scientists rely heavily on this form of Biology to get solutions. Under the Education section in genome.gov it says, “…scientists can use sequence data to look for genes, get clues to gene functions, examine genetic variation, and explore evolutionary relationships,” ( Genome.gov | National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) - Homepage.)This is seen in many online data bases such as the famous NCBI and BLAST. These program databases allow anyone to have access to genomic sequences and get information from them. In the past decade, the Human Genome Project had completed in 2003 with the help of Bioinformatics. Scientists applied Bioinformatics in biology by putting the sequences into the database and seeing the functions the genomes contain. It made the project complete at a much faster rate than the expected completion time. There will be future uses for Bioinformatics in Biology because it stores genetic information that may be needed at one time or another to be examined and to find solutions in Biology. Computer Forensics is very important in Biology because it allows scientists to analyze DNA in crime cases to help find answers, fingerprints of people that have been given in the past are in computer databases that Forensic Scientists can find to see if a person had held the murder weapon or had been at the crime scene, etc. These analysis systems for DNA have helped for Biology in the past decade and will continue to help in the future.
Advantages
There are many advantages with the use of the Internet and Computer Technology for Biology. A computer is able to multitask, which means doing more than one thing at the same time. This takes a heavy amount of workload off of people because things are getting done much faster with the computer. An example of this is the Whole Genome Shotgun Sequencing method. In Bijal P. Trivedi’s article, it says “The shotgun sequencing method goes straight to the job of decoding, bypassing the need for a physical map. Therefore, it is much faster”( Bijal P. Trivedi, "Sequencing the Genome”). This has become such a big impact in Biology because of the fast speed it provides. Another positive note for the Internet and Computer Technology impact in Biology is that it provides online databases. These databases are very important in Biology because scientists need to use the Internet in order to access secure online databases either to see genomic information, to see important medical records of patients, and more. If something were to happen to a file on a personal computer and the computer crashes, the file may be lost that contained the biological information. When it’s online with the access through the Internet, the data will not be as easily lost. Until there is a new mechanism for storing information and analyzing biological material, the Internet and Computer Technology will be used heavily for Biology. The Internet and Computer Technology in general is seen in many areas in people’s lives and people are living in an Information Technology age where people rely on computers for many things and will continue to do so in the future.
Disadvantages
While there are many advantages for Biology because of the Internet and Computer Technology, disadvantages are present as well. One of the biggest disadvantages is the maintenance that goes into the databases. Things constantly need to be updated because there is always something new to add to databases, whether its medical records or new gene sequences. Maintenance isn’t just about adding new things; it’s also about fixing problems as well. If the database isn’t working correctly, it takes time to fix the problem. If something doesn’t need to be fixed, it could need to be replaced instead. Technology is constantly growing and changing today that what is being used for scientists may need to be updated or replaced with a newer piece of technology which most likely would lead into another disadvantage, being high in cost. Another disadvantage is that even data online can be lost sometimes which can be very stressful if the information was not saved in backup but this is not something that happens all the time fortunately. The disadvantages that are listed here do not outweigh the advantages of the impact of the Internet and Computer Technology in Biology.
Further Required Research
While people are able to access online data bases, how much is available to everyday people as opposed to scientists? Is there more information scientists can view than everyone else? These are some questions that could be used and that could be researched more because maybe online data bases could expand their horizons and allow more information to be seen. Something else that could be looked into is how much people understand about genomic information such as gene sequences. Perhaps the information could be made easier to read for some. Something else to look into is how often online databases are changing and need to be updated which would possibly enhance the disadvantage of maintenance and being time consuming. Not everything about how the Internet and Computer Science impacts Biology is known or heard about and if it is, not all information is given for others to learn about to help explain its effective or ineffective uses in Biology.
Conclusion
Even though there is more information to be researched, the Internet and Computer Technology being impacted on Biology is very effective. Bioinformatics with Genomics, Forensic Science, and more biological sciences use computer technology every day. It makes it much easier for scientists in everyday life because of the many advantages it pertains even though it has some disadvantages. Even if it does take a lot of money to replace a piece of computer technology, it must be worth it because it’s being replaced and is used so much for biological sciences. As time goes on, technology will change and improve and the findings in biological sciences will still continue to grow and the two are expected to be working with each other in the future because it is doing so well now with each other.
Works Cited
Betsch, David F. "DNA Fingerprinting in Human Health and Society." Access Excellence. 1994-2009. Web. 07 Oct. 2010. <http://www.accessexcellence.org/RC/AB/IWT/DNA_Fingerprinting_Basics.php>.
In this online resource center, the information given is about Forensics Science and how technology is applied in assistance with Biology. This information is helpful when the research paper talked about the Forensic Biology aspects. This source has valid information because it is from the National Health Museum and is trustworthy.
In this informative website, information about the Human Genome Project gave in perspective of the use of Bioinformatics. This article is useful for the research paper because it explains Bioinformatics and how it connects Biology with Internet and Computer Technology. This source is valid information because it is from the National Human Genome Research Institute.
Fox, By Maggie. "U.S. Congress Hears Benefits of Synthetic Biology | Reuters." Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com. Thomson Reuters, 27 May 2010. Web. 08 Oct. 2010.
In this online news article, information about synthetic biology is given and is seen as a positive good in the eyes of the U.S. Congress. It talks about the advantages of Biology being associated with Internet and Computer Technology. This news article is very recent and only a few months old. The information is valid because it is from a valid source.
In this online news article, information about Bioinformatics is given and explained about by editor Cynthia Gibas. This is useful for the research paper because it explains Bioinformatics and in general, not for just bioinformatics, it mentions that “Computers play many roles in modern biology”. This source is older, but it is still valid because it has information that is facts and is for the most part not completely biased.
In this online dictionary entry, the word Bioinformatics is defined. This is very important for the research paper because it says exactly what Bioinformatics is. In order to talk about Bioinformatics, it is important to understand what it is. This source is valid because it comes from a commonly known dictionary and it is not in any way biased because it is just a definition of a word.
In this online database, facts about Bioinformatics is given and explained. This resource helps in the research paper because it relates to the research topic. The information is not very recent but the information the database contains is still true. This information is valid because it comes from the National Library of Medicine indicating that the source has trustworthiness.
In this website, the advantages and disadvantages about computer science is given. This helps in the research paper because two out of six sections of the paper is solely about the advantages and disadvantages of the use of the Internet and Computer Technology on Biological Sciences. This information is valid because the information is only about a year old and the website has been used in references.
In this online news article, information about computers is given and how it is beneficial to biologists. This information is useful because it relates to the research paper topic. It provided many good points for the paper as well. The information is older but the information still stands. The source is also valid because it is a commonly known source and uses external sources within the online news article.
In this online news article, information about the Human Genome Project is given. It mentions the use of Bioinformatics and how it helps with the Human Genome Project which is beneficial for the research paper. This information is not recent and may not be as reliable as other resources but the information is still valid and comes from an institute that is informative and
factual.
