Better tools, new problems

T echnological advances have almost always led to accelerated progress in the life sciences. The invention of the light microscope paved the way for the discovery of cells as the building blocks of life, and bacteria as the causes of many infectious diseases. The electron microscope allowed biologists to peer into cells themselves and directly observe viruses. The unravelling of the structure of DNA or proteins was directly enabled by X-ray crystallography. DNA sequencing and PCR became the technological cornerstones of molecular biology, whereas NMR and mass spectrometry further improved and accelerated the analysis of proteins and their structures. ...................................................... “As the sequencing of whole genomes becomes faster and cheaper, data production is running ahead of the ability to make sense of it. . .” ......................................................