  In this review we discuss the current status of research in nuclear physics
which is being carried out in different centers in the World. For this purpose
we supply a short account of the development in the area which evolved over the
last 9 decades, since the discovery of the neutron. The evolution of the
physics of the atomic nucleus went through many stages as more data become
available. We briefly discuss models introduced to discern the physics behind
the experimental discoveries, such as the shell model, the collective model,
the statistical model, the interacting boson model, etc., some of these models
may be seemingly in conflict with each other, but this was shown to be only
apparent.
  The richness of the ideas and abundance of theoretical models attests to the
important fact that the nucleus is a really singular system in the sense that
it evolves from two-body bound states such as the deuteron, to few-body bound
states, such as $^4$He, $^7$Li, $^9$Be etc. and up the ladder to heavier bound
nuclei containing up to more than 200 nucleons. Clearly statistical mechanics
does not work for such finite system, neither does other theories applicable to
condensed matter systems. The richness of nuclear physics stems from these
restrictions. New theories and models are presently being developed. Theories
of the structure and reactions of neutron-rich and proton-rich nuclei, called
exotic nuclei, halo nuclei, or Borromean nuclei deal with the wealth of
experimental data available in the last 35 years. Further, nuclear astrophysics
and stellar and Big Bang nucleosynthesis have become a more mature subject. Due
to limited space, this review only covers a few selected topics, mainly those
with which the authors have worked with.
