NCJ Number
193075
Date Published
2001
Length
16 pages
Annotation
In this chapter, two forms of the integration of technologies into the life sciences, the integration of existing technologies to produce more powerful tools for discovery and the integration of technological change with discovery in scientific advancement, were discussed and illustrated.
Abstract
Viewed as critical to the advancement of life sciences, specifically biological sciences, is the integration of technologies. This advancement is seen in two forms: (1) the integration of existing technologies in the production of increased tools for discovery and (2) the integration of technological change with discovery as an integral part of scientific advancement. The advances in physical technologies and the interdisciplinary nature of technological development are viewed as absolute in the future of life sciences. Data assimilation requires the development of a modeling capability for complex biological systems, exceeding current capabilities. The interface between theory and experiment in the biological sciences was discussed in this chapter. The history of the biological sciences has been almost entirely steered by the invention of new technologies, a uniqueness of life sciences. These technologies have enabled the partially completed dissection of the molecular components and interaction of the living cell, continuing to transform modern biology. In addition, technological innovation of biological sciences is seen as increasing at a significant pace. Based on the fundamentally different properties of biological systems, biology has been described as an information science. This is most evident in regards to the amount of useful information about the genetic contents and biochemical components and systems of various cell types. In addition, in the field of human genetics, major shifts in technology are occurring due to recent discoveries. Examples were presented of the changes in technology for genotyping so as to explore the role of interdisciplinary science and the scale change in data acquisition rates. With the integration of new technologies, effective training of professionals in the applied life sciences is viewed as essential. The future of the applied life sciences is seen in high-throughput technology for data acquisition, massive data acquisition and storage, and the use of multiple technical disciplines for both the development of technologies and the analysis and application of the data generated. The key to the future of the life sciences is seen as the advances in automation and miniaturization and the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of technological developments. References