What Netflix and Biologists Have In Common That Helps Save Endangered Species

It’s time to get the 411 on biological data.

Did you know that when you’re lying on the couch, scrolling Netflix and watching five minutes of fifteen different reality shows, the data-crunchers at Netflix HQ are using similar practices that some biologists use to protect endangered species?

Sure, Netflix doesn’t actually help biologists save threatened species, but what they do have in common is their collection and analysis of data. While Netflix determines what show we’ll want to binge next, data biologists may determine what predators a species is facing, impact of external human factors like land clearing or even things like genetic evolution.

Tracking this info allows scientists to find trends in human and animal behaviour, predict how certain species might react to a certain stimulus and determine what resources will benefit our future experience. (Just like Netflix does to us!)

Wait, what are data exactly?

With most businesses on board for analytics and data collection nowadays, companies can use mathematical information to identify types of customers and create new goods or services to meet their wants and needs. This is known as big data.

Whether you’ve studied data or not, we all have hands on experience with big data collection, or at least contributing to it. We participate in the collection of big data every day when we go online, sign up to an email subscription or even physically when we go shopping.

When Netflix pulls data, it looks at things like what we watch, how long we watch for and what we watch next to help figure out which shows to renew, movies to green light and even which artwork to show in our carousels. (Compare your home screen with a friend’s some time—I bet you’ll get different tiles for a bunch of different series!)

As we've learnt, extracting large scale information is not only useful for serving to a consumer. Big data, and the ability to analyse and translate it, is huge in many biological fields, contributing to industries like agribusiness, biotechnology and personalised medicine.

When large collections of mathematical, statistical and computation information (i.e. big data) is used to research and solve problems relating to life and living organisms, this is often referred to as 'quantitative biology'—and it’s an industry where graduates are in high demand.

The University of Queensland (UQ) has created Australia’s first Master of Quantitative Biology to allow biologists to benefit from knowing about big data and how to analyse and interpret it. Combining biology and data collection is one of the best ways biologists can help save endangered species.

Program co-creator Professor Margaret Mayfield believes these skills will be essential in a range of career pathways.

"Quantitative biology uses large, complex data sets that require training beyond the standard that most biologists get these days," Professor Mayfield says.

"The digital realm has allowed us to generate information at a scale previously unimaginable. Having strong biological knowledge coupled with high-level programming and analytical know-how could equip you with the tools to revolutionise biological discovery.

"Biologists need to learn mathematics, coding and computer software if they want to thrive in this new big data era."

Professor Mayfield explained that it could even play a role in the fight against COVID-19.

"COVID-19 has exemplified this need for quantitative biologists—we are witnessing actual life or death situations that require rapid problem-solving, and the data are coming from all around the world at a rate that’s unmanageable without sophisticated computing skills," Professor Mayfield says.

What do quantitative biologists do?

Students in UQ's quantitative biology program aren’t limited to working with endangered animals or in public health advisory. They can use their skills to enter careers in so many different industries including conservation, personalised medicine, agribusiness, agriculture and fisheries, epidemiology, environmental management, biotechnology and genetics.

Even within different industries, their ability to understand experimental design and data collection, alongside programming skills to build stronger data analyses is so useful to science communication, research or work-integrated learning disciplines.

In UQ’s Master of Quantitative Biology, you can become an expert in programming and statistical modelling, using software such as Phython and R, and apply them to biological research.

With the tools gained as a quantitative biology student at UQ, you can bring exciting new potential to your area of interest—from using data to better understand evolutionary history, to informing decision making for the conservation of endangered species, better protecting different landscapes using statistics and probability, or translating genetic information into scientific applications, such as personalised medicine.

Quantitative biology enables you to explore your scientific passion further… and maybe save some fluffy friends along the way. Or, maybe you can get yourself a job at Netflix and urge them to make some more of those David Attenborough docs instead.

How can I get involved?

With a qualification in quantitative biology you can head down a career path in conservation research, data analysing, pharmaceutical development, epidemiology and more.

If you don’t have an undergraduate degree you can make are start with some of UQ’s undergraduate courses in science. If you’re headed down the biology route you may want to start with a Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Mathematics.

If you already have a background in science or numbers, studying a Master of Quantitative Biology from UQ will allow you to develop your skills in biology, exploring data, recent technologies and applying research findings.

The Master of Quantitative Biology at UQ gives graduates all the tools they need to understand big data and use it to help solve biological issues at a local and global scale.

To learn more about UQ's innovative data-based programs, attend their online Master of Quantitative Biology demo class. Register now!

CRICOS 00025B

Header Image: Obradovic via Getty Images