Bioinformatics Basics: Applications in Biological Science and Medicine, Second Edition (Hardcover)

~ Lukas K. Buehler (Editor), (Editor) "Bioinformatics is a fast-growing field within the biological sciences that was developed because of the need to handle large amounts of genetic and biochemical data..." (more)
Key Phrases: Nucleic Acids Res, Kyoto University, Color Figure (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Hardcover-bound and enhance with numerous illustrations, photographs, and tables, the book is suitable not only for beginners but also for experienced readers who will find it to be an excellent source for understanding the bioinformatics tools and databases currently available for research.
-Tzvi Tzfira, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, The Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 81, 2006

Hardcover-bound and enhanced with numerous illustrations, photographs, and tables, the book is suitable not only for beginners but also for experienced readers who will find it to be an excellent source for understanding the bioinformatics tools and databases currently available for research.
—Tzvi Tzfira, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, The Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 81, 2006

This is not a methods or training manual; rather, it will give novice biologists and computer scientists a brief look at the commonly employed bioinformatics resources and the types of questions they can answer. The book is well indexed and has informative tables and figures (some in color).
—K.A. Newman, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, CHOICE, April 2006

This is not a methods or training manual; rather, it will give novice biologists and computer scientists a brief look at the commonly employed bioinformatics resources and the types of questions they can answer. The book is well indexed and has informative tables and figures (some in color).
-K.A. Newman, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, CHOICE, April 2006
…illustrates the wide range of biological data now freely available and may provide an introduction to the resources available at countless websites. . .provides an interesting snapshot of the opportunities the use of statistical and bioinformatics methods can bring to the new biology.
-David Lovell, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK, Pharmaceutical Statistics, Vol. 6, 2007

… professionals will find this book on bioinformatics basics to be an excellent guide for understanding the tools and how to apply them to their research. … The first chapter is an excellent overview of modern molecular biology that covers the basics of genome sequencing, DNA and protein structure, and molecular cloning. … The organization of the chapters into several independent subsections will allow readers the freedom to either read the chapter as a whole, or concentrate on their own area of interest. … enhanced with numerous illustrations, photographs, and tables, the book is suitable not only for beginners but also for experienced readers who will find it to be an excellent source for understanding the bioinformatics tools and databases currently available for research.
— Tzvi Tzfira, Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, University of Michigan , in The Quartely Review of Biology, Vol. 81, December 2006

…illustrates the wide range of biological data now freely available and may provide an introduction to the resources available at countless websites. . .provides an interesting snapshot of the opportunities the use of statistical and bioinformatics methods can bring to the new biology.
—David Lovell, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK, Pharmaceutical Statistics, Vol. 6, 2007

Product Description

Completely revised and updated, this new edition of a bestseller will continue to serve as a tool that allows researchers to easily access and use databases to gather information on genes, proteins, and diseases. It covers new approaches to data analysis using databases around the world. It identifies computing techniques that help readers manage the massive flow of information. The structure of this second edition will follow that of the first and its content will reflect the growth in information. New sections cover recent developments in genome projects, microarray, proteonics, brain mapping, and more.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 360 pages
• Publisher: CRC; 2 edition (June 23, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849312833
• ISBN-13: 978-0849312830
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,794,739 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Solid starting place for a novice, May 9, 2001

By	themadbard (La-la land) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bioinformatics Basics: Applications in Biological Science and Medicine (Hardcover)

I'm always looking for a good guide book for undergrads and biocomputing novices that covers the basics without getting carried away with algorithmic minutiae. I found this book a fair place to start for those who have no idea of what is out there. The tools and Web sites described are mainstays and likely won't be going anywhere. However, if you are already moderately knowledgeable, you will exhaust this book immediately. The nature of the field is constant movement toward newer and more thorough tools. This is not a users' guide: go to the referenced Web sites themselves to get the most up to date, accurate information.

I would refer a naive beginner to get this book at the library, but I wouldn't put it on my own shelf.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars An expensive hodgepodge, January 9, 2002

By	John Rachlin (Newton, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bioinformatics Basics: Applications in Biological Science and Medicine (Hardcover)

Books about bioinformatics are as diverse as the field itself. It may not be possible to do justice to this new and exciting field in 168 pages. My concern with this book, however, lies not with the choice of topics, but rather with its incoherent presentation. Distracting parenthetical remarks pervade the text as in this excerpt from the beginning of the 3rd chapter: "DNA sequences are often found based on predictive tools, meaning that sequence similarities of newly discovered genes yield information about their physiological functions and structures, PCR (polymerase chain reaction), finding sequence fragments of significance (how is significance judged? By predictive biology, once again), finding distribution of genes or mRNAs (often an indicator of gene activity in an organism), and amplifying the amount of DNA for purification, sequencing, and mutational analysis." (p. 143).

Chapter 5 entitled "The Computer Revolution in Neurobiology" we find the following unexpected text: "One rationale for human cloning is that it could alleviate many of the problems associated with our unique characteristics. The genetic information (DNA) of a cloned organ is identical to that of the individual needing the organ. Hence, the cloned organ would be accepted by the individual's body as part of itself and would have a smaller probability of rejection." (p. 159). [Nevermind the enormous ethical implications!]

Throughout, one has the sense of a book rushed to market to take advantage of an exciting scientific trend. The book presents nothing that can't be found on-line and it gives readers no sense of the computational challenges of the field. ...

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I own this title in my library and is well worth the money!, January 9, 2002

By	"palmmed02" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bioinformatics Basics: Applications in Biological Science and Medicine (Hardcover)

I am a novice in bioinformatics and have found this book to be invaluable in getting me started without intimidating me. I have owned the book for over a year and still find it very useful but I am waiting for an update to this title soon since I have enjoyed the organization of the book. It has given me a global picture of informatics and chapters with specific examples and applications. I am sure a second edition to this book will be well recieved by the audience and I am hoping to see it soon since the new bioinformatics book I have just purchased is not to my liking.