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. 2011 Mar;7(3):e1002021.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002021. Epub 2011 Mar 31.

The roots of bioinformatics in theoretical biology

Paulien Hogeweg  1
Affiliations

The roots of bioinformatics in theoretical biology

Paulien Hogeweg. PLoS Comput Biol. 2011 Mar.

Abstract

From the late 1980s onward, the term "bioinformatics" mostly has been used to refer to computational methods for comparative analysis of genome data. However, the term was originally more widely defined as the study of informatic processes in biotic systems. In this essay, I will trace this early history (from a personal point of view) and I will argue that the original meaning of the term is re-emerging.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author has declared that no competing interests exist.

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