The challenges of big data biology

Elife. 2019 Apr 5:8:e47381. doi: 10.7554/eLife.47381.

Abstract

The availability of big data has the potential to transform many areas of the life sciences and usher in new ways of doing research. Here, I argue that big data biology also raises fundamental questions in the philosophy of science: for example, what is a good dataset, and how can reliable knowledge be extracted from big data? Collaborations between biologists, data scientists and philosophers of science will help us to answer these and other questions.

Keywords: big data; epistemology; philosophy of science; pluralism.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Big Data*
  • Biomedical Research / methods*
  • Electronic Data Processing / methods*
  • Intersectoral Collaboration