Programming and Systems Biology

Programming languages are a boon for biologists because modern biology generates huge amounts of data, and programming helps in storage, visualisation, transfer, analysis, and interpretation of these data. They make it easier to access, filter, manipulate, and analyse biological datasets, and are especially useful in bioinformatics, sequence analysis, structure analysis, phylogenetics, and statistical analysis.

The chapter states that the three basic aspects of data management in systems biology are: (i) minimum information, (ii) file formats, and (iii) ontologies.

The incorrect statement is (b). The chapter says that future biotechnology students may require basic programming knowledge and comfort with chemistry and statistical methods, so biologists do need such knowledge for handling datasets.

The chapter defines systems biology as the study of complex biological interactions within biological systems using mathematical and computational models and experimental data. So the correct option is (c).

Metabolic control analysis is listed in the chapter under model-analysis methods, not under data management systems. The data management systems mentioned are spreadsheets, web-based electronic lab notebooks (ELN), and laboratory information management systems (LIMS). So the correct answer is (a).