Biological computation involves the design and development of computational techniques inspired by natural biota. On the other hand, computational biology involves the development and application of computational techniques to study biological systems. We present a comprehensive review showcasing how biology and computer science can guide and benefit each other, resulting in improved understanding of biological processes and at the same time advances in the design of algorithms. Unfortunately, integration between biology and computer science is often challenging, especially due to the cultural idiosyncrasies of these two communities. In this study, we aim at highlighting how nature has inspired the development of various algorithms and techniques in computer science, and how computational techniques and mathematical modeling have helped to better understand various fields in biology. We identified existing gaps between biological computation and computational biology and advocate for bridging this gap between “wet” and “dry” research.

生物计算涉及受自然生物群启发的计算技术的设计和开发。另一方面，计算生物学涉及计算技术的发展和应用以研究生物系统。我们提供了一个全面的综述，展示了生物学和计算机科学如何相互指导和互利，从而增进了对生物学过程的理解，同时也促进了算法设计的进步。不幸的是，生物学和计算机科学之间的整合通常具有挑战性，特别是由于这两个社区的文化特质。在这项研究中，我们旨在强调自然界如何激发了计算机科学中各种算法和技术的发展，以及计算技术和数学建模如何帮助更好地理解生物学的各个领域。我们确定了生物学计算与计算生物学之间的差距，并主张弥合“湿”与“干”研究之间的差距。