  The combination of huge databases of galaxy spectra and advances in
evolutionary synthesis models in the past few years has renewed interest in an
old question: How to estimate the star formation history of a galaxy out of its
integrated spectrum? Fresh approaches to this classical problem are making it
possible to extract the best of both worlds, producing exquisite pixel-by-pixel
fits to galaxy spectra with state-of-the-art stellar population models while at
the same time exploring the fabulous statistics of mega-surveys to derive the
star-formation and chemical enrichment histories of different types of galaxies
with an unprecedented level of detail. This review covers some of these recent
advances, focusing on results for late-type, star-forming galaxies, and
outlines some of the issues which will keep us busy in the coming years.

Astrophysics