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In silico
open-in-new
<p>In <a href="/facts/Biology/1M1ee3pB">biology</a> and other experimental sciences, an <i>in silico</i> experiment is one performed on a computer or via <a href="/facts/Computer_simulation/Re6o8vzN">computer simulation</a> software. The phrase is <a href="/facts/Pseudo-Latin/dQtoR7RC">pseudo-Latin</a> for 'in silicon' , referring to <a href="/facts/Silicon/cgWx0hdr">silicon</a> in computer chips. It was coined in 1987 as an allusion to the <a href="/facts/Latin_phrase/AEtMoFf9">Latin phrases</a> <i><a href="/facts/In_vivo/kWcWyl6f">in vivo</a></i>, <i><a href="/facts/In_vitro/evp3hAX6">in vitro</a></i>, and <i><a href="/facts/In_situ/YolKlaCC">in situ</a></i>, which are commonly used in <a href="/facts/Biology/1M1ee3pB">biology</a> (especially <a href="/facts/Systems_biology/HTH1z1RA">systems biology</a>). The latter phrases refer, respectively, to experiments done in living organisms, outside living organisms, and where they are found in nature. </p>