Biochemistry explores the molecular basis for life processes through chemical and physical studies on the structure and behavior of complex molecules found in biological materials. Biochemistry has emerged as a highly creative and successful discipline that has developed many new technologies and broadly applies the technological advances of other disciplines. Through characterizing the structure, function, assembly, and dynamic changes of macromolecules, biochemists seek to answer fundamental questions about living processes (basic research) and to bring to fruition significant improvements in the quality of life and medical care (applied research). Diverse advances have converged to allow the development of recombinant DNA technology, and a revolution is under way toward understanding how plants and animals regulate their metabolic processes and expression of genetic information. The great complexity and endless variety of biological systems, together with the need for broad explorations, assure that imaginative research will continue in the field of biochemistry for the foreseeable future.