Exploring the Field of Bioinformatics!

Recently, I had the urge to deepen my knowledge of programming by exploring computer science from an interdisciplinary standpoint. Specifically, I’ve spent the past few days learning the basics of bioinformatics: the study of applying computing principles to biology!

I structured my learning using this list of problems from ROSALIND and used Python to work through them. So far, I’ve learned how to count DNA nucleotides, transcribe DNA into mRNA, calculate the GC content of a DNA strand (the percentage of base pairs that are either cytosine or guanine), calculate Mendelian inheritance probabilities, and more!

It’s been very fulfilling to experience firsthand one of the most important and interesting applications of computer science. I’m excited to continue learning more about bioinformatics, potentially delving into the realms of data analysis and medical image processing!