Photoacoustic tomography (PAT) that integrates the molecular contrast of optical imaging with the high spatial resolution of ultrasound imaging in deep tissue has widespread applications in basic biological science, preclinical research and clinical trials. Recently, tremendous progress has been made in PAT regarding technical innovations, preclinical applications, and clinical translations. Here, we selectively review the recent progresses and advances in PAT, including the development of advanced PAT systems for small-animal and human imaging, newly engineered optical probes for molecular imaging, broad-spectrum PAT for label-free imaging of biological tissues, high-throughput snapshot photoacoustic topography, and integration of machine learning for image reconstruction and processing. We envision that PAT will have further technical developments and more impactful applications in biomedicine.