Hallam Stevens

Upon reading the title of this book, many non-specialists might rightly ask, “What is bioinformatics? And why does it deserve its own history?” For the first question, bioinformatics is the application of computer technology to biological studies, and I hope that reading this review will answer the second question.

Many of us were taught hypothesis-driven biology in school – that is, we were taught to ask a well-formed question, perform an experiment, and confirm/deny the hypothesis. While such research will still have its place, a newer form of inquiry has grown up in recent years. In this form, we correlate genetic information with external evidence to solve problems. The sequencing of the human genome in the Human Genome Project stands as the seminal event that produced this new field.

As I write, I wear a t-shirt with the name of my employer (a major medical research center) on it. It talks about forming the future of personalized medicine. Such medicine is dictated by risk factors for various conditions based individually upon a patient’s genome. It hopes to be the future of medical care. It is driven by statistical analyses and integrated by computer technology.

This book, written by a historian of science, shares how this new approach to knowledge has taken place. It integrates expert-level scientific knowledge from computer science and biology into a coherent historical narrative. It informs us about our past so that we may more confidently approach our future. It is well written and based in no small part upon the author’s personal experiences at a lab at MIT during his doctoral work.

Stevens takes us through phases of the development of this field. He starts with the advent of computer technology and traces its impact on bio-related fields. Then he talks about how it organizes the space of genetics and thus produces massive amounts of data. These data then reorient how we approach problems through modern programming techniques. These allow us to approach the problem of how to understand our own DNA meaningfully. Like all good histories of science, this work manages the confluence of many founts of knowledge into one working stream of social impact.

Though dated (written in 2013), this work is of acute interest for those of us who work at the intersection of computer science and biology/medicine. However, this small niche of knowledge is increasing in importance for the general public. Genetic analysis, with each year, is ineluctably entering the mainstream of modern society. Stevens’ history tells us in detail what this transformation consists of and predicts how it will take place. Those aware of societal shifts should take notice.… (mehr)