The article by Fulde, Thalmeier and Zwicknagl traces many of the recent developments in the field of strongly correlated many electron systems. It is very useful both as a reference and a pedagogical exposition since it places these developments into a historical context beginning with early developments in the electron theory of solids. The second article in this volume, by Brechet and Hutchinson, concerns pattern formation in metals and alloys. Spontaneous pattern formation is the development of a regularity, either in the spatial distribution of the material in a system or in its...

Solid state physics is the branch of physics that is primarily devoted to the study of matter in its solid phase, especially at the atomic level. This prestigious serial presents timely and state-of-the-art reviews pertaining
to all aspects of solid state physics.

This latest volume in the series is devoted to the science underpinning two cutting edge areas: protein crystallization and semiconductor nanostructures. The extended and very complete review by E. Runge was awarded this year's Karl-Scheel Prize for "the outstanding publication by a young physicist from Berlin."