Biostatistics

Biostatistics, most generally, is the application of statistics to biology and, most commonly, to medicine. Because research questions in biology and medicine are various, biostatistics has expanded its domain to include any quantitative, not just statistical, models that may be used to answer these questions.

Programs in biostatistics are almost exclusively post-baccalaureate (i.e., found in graduate schools). They are most often found in schools of public health, affiliated with schools of medicine, or as a focus of application in departments of statistics.

However, many universities that deal with ecological research have an biostatsitics course that introduces concepts such as hypothesis testing for univariate and sometimes multivariate data sets with one, two or more samples. Often this is combined or followed with some kind of experimental design course.

As a discipline designed to yield information, biostatistics may be considered as one (highly-developed) branch of medical informatics, which, in turn, may be encompassed by the newer field of bioinformatics.

Consequently, biostatistics draws quantitative methods from fields such as:

and it is applied to research questions in fields such as: Finally, the terms, biostatistics and biometry, appear to be interchangeable, although biometry tends to connote a biological (or even agricultural), rather than medical, application.


In the News

Immediate Access To Antibiotics Stems Spread Of Sexually Transmitted D
In an editorial to be published in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at Johns Hopkins offer their support for a study which shows that providing faster, more direct access to antibiotics for partners of newly infected patients reduces re-infection rates and spread of sexually transmitted diseases, such as gonorrhea and Chlamydia, compared to standard practice.

Alcohol Increases Sleep Intensity In Young Women
While numerous studies have linked alcohol abuse to sleep disruption, especially in males, there has been little research on alcohol and its effects on sleep in females. Now, a new study shows that a moderate amount of alcohol, taken before bed, can impact the quality of sleep for young women.

Papers Win Suit Against Google
A Belgian court rules that the search company violates copyright law by providing free access to news stories that online newspapers generally charge for. By the Associated Press.

Determining The Quality Of Ginkgo
NIST has issued a suite of Standard Reference Materials for ginkgo biloba, one of the most popular dietary supplements in the marketplace. The new reference materials are designed to help researchers validate the accuracy of analytical methods for flavonoids and terpene lactones (plant constituents that may be associated with the perceived effectiveness of ginkgo) as well as toxic elements in ginkgo.

'Hollow-face Illusion' Affects Estimates Of Distance And Reaching Task
A person's prior knowledge of the geometry of faces affects his or her ability to estimate distance and complete visually guided reaching tasks according to a study published in the June issue of Journal of Vision, an online, free access publication of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).

[Odd] Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese Back Up on EBay
The Internet auction house eBay Inc. reversed itself Tuesday and is allowing bids for half of a 10-year-old grilled cheese sandwich that its owner says bears the image of the Virgin Mary.

Cell Phone in Pocket Burns Man
A freak accident turns a California man's mobile device into an instrument of destruction, leaving him with serious injuries. In Gadget Lab.

Life Cycle Of A Protein Observed With Single-Molecule Resolution
Using a sensitive, single-molecule measurement technique, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have observed the life cycle of RecA, a protein that plays a major role in repairing damaged DNA.

New Dinosaur Raptor Found; First In Southern Hemisphere
Scientists at Ohio State University and the Argentine Museum of Natural History have identified a new species of raptor dinosaur from fossils found in Patagonia -- the very southern tip of South America.

Emerging Field Of Neuroecology Bridges Neural Basis Of Behavior And Ec
Neuroecology bridges a critical gap between studying the neural basis of behavior (neuroethology) and evaluating the consequences of that behavior at the ecological levels of populations and communities. A squid escapes a predator by clouding the water with ink -- but is this a visual defense, or are there chemical implications for the ecosystem as well?


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