Computer Science and Biology

Computational Thinking has given biologists a powerful new way to work. Rather than doing experiments on living things they can now build computational models and simulations of the biological systems of interest, from whole hearts to cancer cells. Experiments on the models can help them refine their understanding. Computer Scientists have also drawn from biology new ways of doing computation based on the brain and evolution, for example. New subjects like bioinformatics have emerged where powerful computing techniques are combined with statistics to held decode and understand the DNA of living things.

Activity Sheets

The following activities draw out issues on the links between biology and computing.

The Brain-in-a-bag Activity
- Model the way brain works both as a way to illustrate computational modelling as applied to biology and understand how neurones work. Suitable both for computing and biology lessons.
The Sodarace Evolution Activity
- Evolve creatures to try and win a race, learning about how computational modelling can help test and understand scientific theories, in this case evolution by natural selection.

Booklets and Magazines to download

Biology Loves Technology
- cs4fn has teamed up with Centre of the Cell to publish a book of facts from the combined worlds of biology and computing, called Biology Loves Technology.

Computer Science and BioLife: Issue 4 of cs4fn Magazine
- In this issue we look at some of the things that have resulted from these interactions between computer scientists and the squidgy, BioLife subjects. Some really exciting stuff emerges out of the gunge.