To Get Started

The myriad tools for analyzing sequence data — never mind the sheer amount of data itself — can overwhelm researchers just getting into the field. Over at The Scientist, Jeffrey Perkel presents a guide for those new to the community. First off, researchers need a place to store data and compute power to analyze it, but just how much of each will depend on the project. Many institutions have cluster access for its researchers, but for researchers at those that don't, there are other services to turn to, such as Amazon's Cloud or Penn State's Galaxy, among others. On the analysis end, Perkel says that there are "literally hundreds of bioinformatics tools for next-gen sequencing are available, from polished commercial products to rough-around-the-edges freeware solutions." A table at The Scientist includes a list of tools, from Bowtie to Velvet, that may come in handy.