Evolutionary Bioinformatics
Evolutionary Biology & Ecology > Understanding Evolution
Bioinformatics made possible to trace the evolution of a large number of organisms by measuring changes in
their DNA.
The pace of evolutionary biology and its ramifications has outstripped public awareness as well as expanded
beyond the knowledge base of most classical evolutionary biologists.
Evolutionary biology is the study of the origin and descent of species, as well as their change over time.
Bioinformatics has assisted evolutionary biologists in several key ways; it has enabled researchers to:
- Trace the evolution of a large number of organisms by measuring changes in their DNA, rather than through physical taxonomy or physiological observations alone.
- More recently, compare entire genomes, which permits the study of more complex evolutionary events, such as gene duplication (Gene duplication is any duplication of a region of DNA that contains a gene; it may occur as an error in homologous recombination, or duplication of an entire chromosome), horizontal gene transfer (Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) refers to the transfer of genetic material between organisms. Horizontal gene transfer is the primary reason for bacterial antibiotic resistance), and the prediction of factors important in bacterial speciation.
- Build complex computational models of populations to predict the outcome of the system over time.
- Track and share information on an increasingly large number of species and organisms.
- Future work endeavors to reconstruct the now more complex tree of life.