Computing Life - National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Learn how scientists use computers to advance our understanding of biology and human health. » more

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Making a Microscopic Metropolis This movie shows what would happen when bacteria multiply in a confined space. Individual bacteria are color-coded to indicate their orientation to the container walls: from blue (perpendicular) to red (parallel).

This movie shows what would happen when bacteria multiply in a confined space. Individual bacteria are color-coded to indicate their orientation to the container walls: from blue (perpendicular) to red (parallel).

Run your tongue across your teeth. Unless you've brushed recently, you probably feel a slimy residue. It's a well-organized collection of bacteria called a biofilm. But how do these communities form? Watch a computer simulation developed by researchers at the University of California, San Diego that show how a handful of bacteria can turn into a very orderly arrangement.
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Featured Topics

Searching for Genetic Treasures
With computing advances, scientists uncover new details about diseases, drug treatments, and even crimes. » more

Sim Sickness
Scientists create virtual worlds to study how contagious diseases could spread through your hometown. » more

The Next Top Protein Model
Scientists harness computers, even ones in your home, to study biological molecules critical to human health. » more

Integrating Biology
Researchers combine real data and computer models to diagram everything from how cells move to how hearts beat. » more

Movie Mania
See how scientists animate biological processes, thrusting you into never-before-seen worlds. » more

Made Possible By...
Read about the different types of scientists and other people who are computing life and find out how you can get involved, too. » more

Web ExtrasTracking Bacteria in the Blood A computer model of a small aggregate of bacteria growing in the bloodstream. Credit: John Younger, David Bortz

A computer model of a small aggregate of bacteria growing in the bloodstream. Credit: John Younger, David Bortz

Like a cannonball shooting through the air, bacteria follow similar mathematical rules as they shuttle through blood vessels. By using these rules to model where they go, emergency medicine researcher and doctor John Younger hopes to give us a better understanding of bacterial bloodstream infections—and teach his students that math is vital to understanding disease. Read the entire article.Virtual Screening Leads to Real Progress in Drug Design Trypanosoma brucei parasites (bright pink) surrounded by red blood cells (light pink) in a smear of infected blood. Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Dr. Mae Melvin

Trypanosoma brucei parasites (bright pink) surrounded by red blood cells (light pink) in a smear of infected blood. Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Dr. Mae Melvin

Around 150,000 people per year get African sleeping sickness but the only medicines to treat it are either difficult to administer, expensive, or toxic. Now, a team of scientists has put computers to work to find a solution. Read the entire article.Teamwork Opens Evolutionary Window A model of the active site of IMPDH. The gray arrows (left) show the vestigial pathway, and the black arrow (right) shows the modern one. Credit: Lizbeth Hedstrom

A model of the active site of IMPDH. The gray arrows (left) show the vestigial pathway, and the black arrow (right) shows the modern one. Credit: Lizbeth Hedstrom

Two minds are often better than one, and the same goes for scientific techniques. Researchers who experiment in the lab are finding that computational methods can help them solve biological problems. Read how enzymologist Lizbeth Hedstrom and computational biochemist Wei Yang joined forces to open a window into the mysteries of evolution.More Web Extras