01686nas a2200217   4500008004100000022001400041245005400055210004900109260001400158300001400172490000600186520110700192653001701299653002901316653001601345653000901361653001001370100002301380700002401403856004101427       2006                        eng d  a1467-546300aThe Life Sciences Semantic Web is Full of Creeps!0 aLife Sciences Semantic Web is Full of Creeps  cSeptember  a275–2860 v73 aThe Semantic Web for the Life Sciences (SWLS), when realized, will dramatically improve our ability to conduct bioinformatics analyses using the vast and growing stores of web-accessible resources. This ability will be achieved through the widespread acceptance and application of standards for naming, representing, describing and accessing biological information. The W3C-led Semantic Web initiative has established most, if not all, of the standards and technologies needed to achieve a unified, global SWLS. Unfortunately, the bioinformatics community has, thus far, appeared reluctant to fully adopt them. Rather, we are seeing what could be described as semantic creep'–timid, piecemeal and ad hoc adoption of parts of standards by groups that should be stridently taking a leadership role for the community. We suggest that, at this point, the primary hindrances to the creation of the SWLS may be social rather than technological in nature, and that, like the original Web, the establishment of the SWLS will depend primarily on the will and participation of its consumers. 10.1093/bib/bbl02510abiodiversity10abiodiversity-informatics10ainformatics10alsid10aweb201 aGood, Benjamin, M.1 aWilkinson, Mark, D.  uhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bib/bbl025