The information encoded in DNA is of paramount importance to medicine and to the life sciences. The mapping of the human genome is revolutionizing the understanding of genetic disorders and the prediction of disease, and will aid in developing therapies. The ability to sequence DNA quickly and inexpensively is essential to both individualized medicine and to scientific research. The development of new sequencing techniques beyond the original Sanger sequencing is needed to reach these goals. Even more preferred are new sequencing techniques that can be applied to polymers in addition to nucleic acids.