Technology Features in 2018

Techniques that render tissues as clear as glass and swell them to several times their original size are giving unprecedented access to the inner workings of biological systems.

No longer just ‘brain glue’, astrocytes are coming to the fore as a broadening toolset reveals the cells’ complexity and diversity.

DNA sequencing is helping clinicians to unravel the underpinnings of disease in individual patients.

As the imaging technique produces ever-sharper protein structures, researchers are racing to develop tools to assess how accurate they are.

A simple software toolset can help to ease the pain of reproducing computational analyses.

Outdated genome-sequencing machines need not die — researchers can repurpose them to drive next-generation biochemistry studies.

Human stem cells are yielding 3D miniature tissues that can be used to study both normal human biology and human disease in vitro.

Protein- and sequencing-based technologies are helping researchers to profile immune cells ever more deeply.

Advances in gene editing are allowing researchers to create mouse models that more closely mirror the disease in humans.

Atomic force microscopy is revealing molecular structures with startling clarity. Artificial intelligence and automation could expand its potential.

A popular artificial-intelligence method provides a powerful tool for surveying and classifying biological data. But for the uninitiated, the technology poses significant difficulties.

Thought leaders reveal the technologies and topics likely to transform life-science research in the year ahead.