Long noncoding RNAs are non-protein coding transcripts greater than 200 bp in length. Rapidly growing studies showed that these 90% non-protein coding regions in human genome, instead of being "transcription noise", were also playing important roles on transcription initiation, elongation and post-transcriptional regulation etc., thus affecting various biological processes. Based on recent research progress on long noncoding RNAs, this review aims to summarize their origin and evolution, novel kinds of long noncoding RNAs, typical functional mechanisms of long noncoding RNAs, and their roles in development and reprogramming. We also tried to update studies on epigenetic regulation of long noncoding RNAs as well as their roles in cancer research, and some closely related modern technologies for long noncoding RNAs. Systematic screen of long noncoding RNAs and the elaboration of their functional mechanisms will play critical roles in the progress of modern life sciences.