And the winner is...

In their 22 December issue, Science magazine declares that genome sequencing was the top scientific advance of 2000. This time last year we had a complete genome sequence of only one multicellular organism: the worm, Caenorhabditis elegans. The year 2000 has seen release of sequences for the human genome (yet to be published), the fruit fly, and the plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Microbial sequences released in 2000 include the genomes of bugs that cause cholera and meningitis. Meanwhile the genomes of the mouse, rat, zebrafish, and two species of puffer fish are also nearing completion.