The field of bioinformatics is growing at an unprecedented rate, as molecular biologists discover the extraordinary range of computational techniques and applications that apply directly to their work. Now, Harvard Medical School and MIT faculty member Bryan Bergeron has written a comprehensive, practical guide to bioinformatics for biology students at every level. Bergeron illuminates key advances in computer visualization, large database design, advanced pattern matching, machine learning, statistical methods, and distributed computing-and demonstrates exactly how these advances can be used to advance research into biological systems. Bergeron also identifies technologies and approaches on the near horizon that will have a significant impact on bioinformatics, and introduces the key global and societal issues most likely to shape bioinformatics in the coming years.