What does the term 'bioinformatics' refer to?

The term 'bioinformatics' specifically refers to the use of software and algorithms to analyze and interpret biological data. This field combines biology, computer science, and mathematics to handle the vast amounts of data generated by biological research, especially in genomics and molecular biology. By applying computational tools to biological questions, bioinformatics enables researchers to derive meaningful insights from complex datasets, such as genomic sequences or protein structures.

The other options describe different concepts in biology and research practices but do not align with the core definition of bioinformatics. For instance, studying organisms in their natural environment pertains more to ecology or field biology, while traditional laboratory practices would be concerned with hands-on techniques in a wet lab. Banking of biological specimens relates to biobanking, which involves the collection and storage of biological samples for future research purposes, and is a different discipline from bioinformatics which focuses on data analysis rather than specimen collection or storage.