Definition

biowhat
(bahy-o-wut)
idiom.

initial verbal reaction of someone being told about a science that has branched off of biology (i.e. bioinformatics, biomedical engineering, biochemistry, etc).

Mom,”So what are you studying in graduate school that requires all this additional money?”
Son, “Bioinformatics.”
Mom, “BIOWHAT!?”

Quotes and Thoughts

“…doing what little one can to increase the general stock of knowledge is as respectable an object of life, as one can in any likelihood pursue.”

As Darwin alluded to in the above quote, one of the most noble pursuits in life is increasing the “general stock of knowledge”. The overall goal of scientists to publish has always reflected this concept, but as we move into the era of internet centric lifestyles one must realize the importance of blogs and online journals. There is a vast amount of information out there waiting to be shared, especially in Bioinformatics leading me to another one of Darwin’s famous quotes:

“In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environment.”

At the present day the field of Bioinformatics is occupied by people who are masters of their own scientific domain whether this be Biology, Computer Science, or statistics. Bioinformatics is such an integrative field that we must force ourselves to daily adapt to its changing landscapes in order to be successful.