Aplicações de LISP (Scheme) em Bioinformática
Abstract: We present a rationale for expanding the presence of the Lisp family of
programming languages in bioinformatics and computational
biology research. Put simply, Lisp-family languages
enable programmers to more quickly write programs that run faster than
in other languages. Languages such as Common Lisp,
Scheme and Clojure facilitate the creation of powerful and flexible
software
that is required for complex and rapidly evolving
domains like biology. We will point out several important key features
that
distinguish languages of the Lisp family from other
programming languages, and we will explain how these features can aid
researchers in becoming more productive and
creating better code. We will also show how these features make these
languages
ideal tools for artificial intelligence and machine
learning applications. We will specifically stress the advantages of
domain-specific
languages (DSLs): languages that are specialized to
a particular area, and thus not only facilitate easier research problem
formulation, but also aid in the establishment of
standards and best programming practices as applied to the specific
research
field at hand. DSLs are particularly easy to build
in Common Lisp, the most comprehensive Lisp dialect, which is commonly
referred to as the ‘programmable programming
language’. We are convinced that Lisp grants programmers unprecedented
power
to build increasingly sophisticated artificial
intelligence systems that may ultimately transform machine learning and
artificial
intelligence research in bioinformatics and
computational biology.