Visualizing time-related data in biology, a review

Abstract

peer reviewedTime is of the essence, also in biology. Monitoring disease progression or timing developmental defects are key aspects in the process of drug discovery and therapy trial. Furthermore, before deciphering the course of evolution of these complex processes, we need an understanding of the basic dynamics of biological phenomena that are often strictly time-regulated (e.g. circadian rhythms). With the advances in technologies able to measure timing effects and dynamics of regulatory aspects, visualization and analysis tools try to keep up the pace with the new challenge. Beyond the classical timeline plots, notable attempts at more involved temporal interpretation have been made in the recent years, but awareness of the available resources is still limited within the scientific community. Here we review some of the advances in biological visualization of time-driven processes and look at how they allow analyzing data now and in the future