Bioinformatics Terminology

noun a series of things connected or linked together

verb to link (things) together in a chain or series

• In computer programming, to concatenate means to link together or join two or more strings.
• I need to concatenate these two lists of names before sending out the email.
• Let's concatenate these videos to make a cool compilation.
• The artist was able to concatenate different art styles in their masterpiece.

noun a similarity in structure between parts of different organisms, indicating a common evolutionary origin

• The concept of homology in biology refers to the similarity in structure between different organisms due to shared ancestry.
• Homology basically means that different organisms have similar body parts because they come from the same family tree.
• Homology is like when two species have the same stuff because they're related.
• Homology is like finding out you have the same nose as your great-great-grandparent.

noun PDB stands for Protein Data Bank, which is a database for the three-dimensional structural data of large biological molecules, such as proteins and nucleic acids.

• The Protein Data Bank (PDB) is a database that provides information about the 3D structures of large biological molecules.
• I found the PDB file for that protein structure we were discussing.
• I need to download the PDB for my bioinformatics project.
• The PDB is like a treasure trove of molecular structures waiting to be explored.

noun a colloquial term for a girlfriend or romantic partner

• The affy company has been a leader in the industry for over a decade.
• I heard that affy place makes the best burgers in town.
• I'm totally affy about that new song, it's been on repeat all day.
• Her smile was like an affy ray of sunshine on a cloudy day.