bioinformatics

American  

[bahy-oh-in-fer-mat-iks] / ˌbaɪ oʊˌɪn fərˈmæt ɪks /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. the retrieval and analysis of biochemical and biological data using mathematics and computer science, as in the study of genomes.

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bioinformatics British  

/ ˌbaɪəʊˌɪnfəˈmætɪks /

noun

1. the branch of information science concerned with large databases of biochemical or pharmaceutical information

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bioinformatics Scientific  

/ bī′ō-ĭn′fər-măt′ĭks /

1. Information technology as applied to the life sciences, especially the technology used for the collection and analysis of genomic data.

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Etymology

Origin of bioinformatics

First recorded in 1975–80; bio- ( def. ) + informatics ( def. )

Example Sentences

"But this turned into a special case that required focused efforts and expertise of several different individuals. This was a complex mystery that required morphological, genetic, deep-sea and bioinformatics expertise to solve."

From Science Daily • Apr. 27, 2026

To ensure accuracy, scientists analyzed mitochondrial DNA and used advanced bioinformatics tools to compare small segments of nuclear DNA.

From Science Daily • Mar. 23, 2026

The ability to snack on synthetic carbon may confer a crucial survival advantage, noted Intikhab Alam, a senior bioinformatics researcher and co-leader of the study.

From Science Daily • Nov. 4, 2025

Current bioinformatics tools can’t scan this much data all at once, especially for sequences that haven’t yet been assembled into genomes.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 5, 2024

Then, they used mass spectrometry data and bioinformatics software to identify the types and relative abundance of proteins in the samples.

From Science Daily • Apr. 25, 2024