As the new millennium approaches, it is appropriate to ask how far medicine and the life sciences have brought us, and to wonder how specific fields will develop over the next decade or so.This volume gathers together a number of leading scientists to give a bird's eye view of their field. Much of the emphasis is on cancer, microbial infections and immunology, because these are some of the most rapidly advancing areas of research. However, the book is wide-ranging and interdisciplinary, and covers topics as diverse as reproductive health technology, animal-to-human transplants, drug resistance, non-invasive diagnosis by magnetic resonance, novel membrane technology, and carbon nanotubes. The graduate student faced with a decision regarding his or her future topic of research could do worse than browse through this collection of articles by experts in the field.