Spatial biology reveals the cosmos within, much like astronomy reveals the cosmos without. Both disciplines generate imagery that relies on “false color” to reveal structures and spatial relationships that would otherwise remain unseen. (Notice how this month’s cover, which highlights spatial biology, has a cosmological aspect.) As the newer discipline, spatial biology has some catching up to do. To see how it’s progressing, see this month’s A-List, which ranks the top 10 spatial biology companies. The list was compiled after some recent M&A activity, including Bruker’s acquisition of NanoString Technologies, the implications of which are discussed by Bruker executives in an interview with Julianna LeMieux, PhD, GEN’s deputy editor in chief. Just one of these implications is the evolution of a whole new science, one that describes cellular organization in terms of molecular signals and biomechanical forces—rather like astronomy describes the universe’s large-scale structures in terms of gravitational interactions.