The above mentioned conference was attended by over 300 participants, including chemists, biologists, molecular biologists, medical scientists and food scientists from 20 countries around the world. Over 250 papers were presented at the conference, and this publication is a collection of all the presentations made. Reflecting upon the progress over the quarter century since the discovery of superoxide dismutase, the topics detailed herein cover broad disciplines of reactive species of oxygen and its detection in vitro and in vivo ; antioxidative enzymes and compounds; perspectives of superoxide dismutase as a form of therapeutics; the target molecules of reactive species of oxygen; oxidative stress in environments; the molecular mechanisms for adaption to oxidative stress; biosignals of NO radicals and reactive species of oxygen; and the implications of reactive species of oxygen to diseases. Owing to space limitations, a selection of the contents is detailed hereunder.