Unlocking Biology's Potential The historical pattern of medicine has been responsive; symptoms appear and then they are treated. Recent scientific and technical advances, however, open the prospect of predictive medicine, in which the appearance of disease in an individual or region is foretold and prepared for or even prevented. Predictive medicine can occur over a wide range of scales. Advances in biological sciences support lifelong, detailed monitoring of body chemistry, with an eye to early detection of changes. In vitro cell biology and physiological measurements provide unprecedented insight into the condition of individual humans and the levels of environmental stressors. Web queries have famously been used for early detection of the arrival of flu in a city. Finally, on the largest scale, satellite imaging can support predictions of the impending outbreak of vector-borne diseases in entire regions.