Atlas

Think of China, and what comes to mind?

In the middle of dairy country, nestled by four glacial lakes, Madison, Wisconsin is quietly emerging as a biotechnology and life science powerhouse.

If you ask Detlev Ganten whether he would like to see Berlin develop into a global life science center in coming years, he will say "no."

As the largest city in the northwest United States, Seattle is probably known less for biotech than it is for aerospace (Boeing), software (Microsoft in nearby Redmond), coffee (Starbucks), and online retail (Amazon.com).