‘Recent Advances in Genetic Epidemiology’ is a special edition of Human Heredity to celebrate Professor Newton E. Morton’s 70th birthday. Newton E. Morton, a member of the U.S. National Academy of Science, is one of the founding fathers of genetic epidemiology and laid the ground work for the methodology that produced our current human gene maps. Professor Morton and eight authors have contributed peer reviewed original papers and reviews addressing some of the most challenging problems in genetic epidemiology at the dawn of the era of genetic medicine. One author gives us fascinating insights into the history of eugenics in the USA and draws parallels to China. Another reflects thoughtfully on the ethics of prenatal testing, population control, as well as medical care and the rights of individuals. In general, the authors recognize the need for an emphasis on population analysis of non-Mendelian genetics. Several contributors address the importance of population isolates for the mapping of complex diseases, while others propose novel methods, such as pattern recognition, for mapping complex traits and yet another presents a method to tackle the difficult project of mapping traits with small effect sizes. Taken together, these articles can be used as a handbook for the problems facing the science of genetic epidemiology in the 21st century.