Foreword
Our mission is to publish content on what you are doing to make biology research more accessible, low-cost, efficient, and reproducible. The stories that we chronicle come from innovators in academic labs, startups, and at home, and this issue is no exception. Highlighted in this issue are multiple software tools for optimizing a variety of research processes. Atomwise developed a novel AI tool for drug discovery, BioBright is developing software tools for optimizing a researcher’s productivity, Tim Busbice explores the idea of building artificial connectomes for multiple functionalities, and Danfox Davies introduces his software tool for the prediction of alternative start sites in protein coding and how that will help predict pathway functions.
We are excited to include an update by MiniPCR and how their apparatus is being used to detect Ebola, genotype truffles, conduct experiments on the ISS, and much more. Additionally, Orkan Telhan discusses Microbial Design Studio, built to facilitate the use of biology in design, and also announces Design.bio, a portal for sharing workflows.
Sindhu Ravuri interviewed Russell Poldrack of the Stanford Center for Reproducible Neuroscience and examines how they are revolutionizing data sharing and analysis in neuroscience, HiveBio updates us on their community lab, Karen Ingram reviews the evolution of biology at SXSW, and Vikram Dhillon researches the potential use of blockchain for open science.
To better align with our goal of sharing these stories with you, we transitioned from not only publishing in this quarterly magazine, but also publishing content on our new O’Reilly Bio Ideas page for easier communication of your projects and ideas. Additionally, we decided to publish content on a more frequent basis. Please keep the articles coming, we love sharing your stories! Contact us at [email protected] if you are interested in contributing.