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>> Computer scientists often don't understand and appreciate the complexities of a signalling pathway Do they have to? If I understood OP right, he just wants

by manmal 11y ago

>> Computer scientists often don't understand and appreciate the complexities of a signalling pathway Do they have to? If I understood OP right, he just wants to crunch some numbers and find out whether there is a correlation between specific bacteria types and diseases. It's a stochastic approach to the problem. I don't like rants like yours that basically say "don't talk about this subject, you don't have the necessary background". Problems sometimes _are_ solved by people foreign to a field.

teekert 11y ago
"he just wants to crunch some numbers and find out whether there is a correlation between specific bacteria types and diseases." I don't think he is, he is specifically looking for biologists. I don't like your: "he just wants to crunch some numbers". So what if you find a correlation? You can always find a correlation when the number of parameters is much greater than the number of experiments, that is the problem with knowledge-less Big Data. Suppose you do find a correlation. Is it because of the bacteria? Or is it because of the Genomic similarities between the persons? Is it because those persons were breast fed? Do the hate milk? Or when there is no correlation, is it because the microbiota has no effect? Or is it because the bacteria in one gut are continuously exchanging plasmids? Again, what is your hypothesis? I like the computer scientists that reach out to other field and help in generating hypotheses. Just crunching some numbers sound like a recipe for nothing. I mean, when you do find a correlation? Are you going to advice people medically based on a correlation? I know the FDA for one does not like that.
- manmal 11y ago
  Are you accusing computer scientists of not being able to apply scientific methods? I'm not sure, and I don't want to setup a strawman. Of course there would have to be hypotheses, and they would be tested. Scientific methods are not exclusive to biology. In the study or citizen study I imagine here, a questionnaire would include questions like yours. Crunching the numbers is the means to refute them, then. I don't know what you think CS folks are doing all day?

by manmal 11y ago

teekert 11y ago

"he just wants to crunch some numbers and find out whether there is a correlation between specific bacteria types and diseases." I don't think he is, he is specifically looking for biologists. I don't like your: "he just wants to crunch some numbers". So what if you find a correlation? You can always find a correlation when the number of parameters is much greater than the number of experiments, that is the problem with knowledge-less Big Data. Suppose you do find a correlation. Is it because of the bacteria? Or is it because of the Genomic similarities between the persons? Is it because those persons were breast fed? Do the hate milk? Or when there is no correlation, is it because the microbiota has no effect? Or is it because the bacteria in one gut are continuously exchanging plasmids? Again, what is your hypothesis? I like the computer scientists that reach out to other field and help in generating hypotheses. Just crunching some numbers sound like a recipe for nothing. I mean, when you do find a correlation? Are you going to advice people medically based on a correlation? I know the FDA for one does not like that.

manmal 11y ago
Are you accusing computer scientists of not being able to apply scientific methods? I'm not sure, and I don't want to setup a strawman. Of course there would have to be hypotheses, and they would be tested. Scientific methods are not exclusive to biology. In the study or citizen study I imagine here, a questionnaire would include questions like yours. Crunching the numbers is the means to refute them, then. I don't know what you think CS folks are doing all day?