On learning to write

What are the most exciting areas for future research? It is possible to forget that we live in the golden age of biology and will do for some time to come. Genome projects have given us a list of components but told us nothing about how they work to make life. The next century of biomedical research will be required to fully exploit this resource. Nominating areas of future research excitement is almost always a futile exercise because, thank goodness, we are constantly being surprised. This unpredictability is precisely why curiosity-driven research is such a vital part of the future. In spite of the uncertainty, an obvious area to watch closely is the brain. Here ignorance is huge and the possibility of surprising discoveries correspondingly great.