The Era of Bioinformatics

The recent technological developments in the field of molecular biology have vastly contributed in feeding the scientific research community with massive amounts of biological data that will be eventually stored and analyzed. Scientists and researchers involved in the field of molecular biology are facing the challenge of analyzing and interpreting massive numbers of Cs, Gs, As and Ts sequences that encode functional biological processes guaranteeing an organism survival. Genomics and proteomics research aims at collecting various living organisms' genetic resources to study genes and their products that regulate biological processes granting food, fiber, energy and other compounds that are essential for human health and environment. The storage and analysis of biological data using certain algorithms and computer softwares is called BIOINFORMATICS. The present paper will point out bioinformatics elements and applications. It will portray the importance of bioinformatics for a better understanding of our environment. This paper will also make reference to some of the debatable issues related to bioinformatics and some of its applications.