Challenges in Deciphering New Mechanisms in Cellular Biology.

A few decades ago scientific progress in biology was slow. The identification of new mechanisms on the cellular level was restricted to observations in embedded or fixed samples isolated and processed using complicated protocols. This pattern changed with the development of new imaging techniques that allowed the observation of cellular dynamics at fast time ranges from the nanosecond to millisecond. The development of kits allowed for rapid sample processing. New probes for labelling and high resolution microscopy completely changed the way of scientific exploration. Things that were thought of as unfeasible were all of a sudden possible. These advances combined with the growth in areas of genomics and proteomics research allowed for the rapid production of mass data and articles that describe observations at fast and slow timescales. Additionally, data are available on various length scales, from nano-meters to cm. These observations are published on a daily basis. The new open access rules and regulations for researchers funded by federal research institutions such as the National Institute of Health allows the dissemination of the new data over the internet conveniently.