Chromatin: mysteries solved?

Over the past few years we have seen enormous progress in uncovering the critical roles that chromatin structure has on the control of gene expression, the regulation of developmental processes, and the control of cell cycle checkpoints. No longer is chromatin research the "last bastion of scoundrels." The recent intensity of chromatin research, however, might lead a young scientist to conclude that the field is saturated or that all the big mysteries have been solved. This view could not be further from the truth! Here I briefly outline four areas of chromatin research where new paradigms and mysteries are still waiting to be discovered.