Micro and nanoscale technologies are providing new possibilities for investigating life processes at the sub-cellular and molecular level. Electrical and optical probes can be constructed to enable increasingly fine scale resolution of the dynamic processes taking place in living systems. Similar approaches are allowing for analysis of increasingly small amount of biochemicals with the ultimate limit of single molecule analysis being seriously considered. Methods of fabricating micro and nanoscale interfaces with controlled structure and chemical composition are also providing vehicles for exploring the response of living cells to their environment. These same technologies may be exploited for a new biotechnology, making greater utility of active biomolecules combined with electronic and optical devices. This talk will explore some of the activity in the development of these new biological tools and approaches.