Advances in colloid and interface science have stimulated a renewed interest in the study of lipid-water systems. In recent years, much progress has been achieved in the domains of sample preparation and sample environments, offering the unique possibility of studying these systems under physiologically relevant conditions. In the case of neutron reflectometry, new experimental protocols allow for the unique structural determination of one-dimensional membrane profiles, while the advantages offered by synchrotron radiation (e.g., high flux and spatial resolution) make X-rays an excellent tool for addressing questions pertaining to membrane interactions. Most recently, holographic techniques are evolving so that one day they may be able to resolve, to atomic resolution, the structure of poorly crystallized membrane associated proteins. ; system details: machine converted author identifier PE to PID, February 2012