1st quarter 2004

Science's Top Ten in 2003

Every December the magazine "Science", one of the foremost scientific journals in the world, nominates what it considers to be the ten most important scientific developments, discoveries, research programmes and inventions of the year. In 2003 five of the top ten came from the field of biosciences:

2nd place: Research into mental illness (depression and schizophrenia, incl. identifying genetic predisposition to mental illness)4th place: Small RNAs (fundamental biological principles for isolating genes with promising potential for therapy)7th place: Germ cells from embryonic stem cells (men can produce egg cells and women sperm cells)9th place: Sequencing of the Y chromosome (it is the Y chromosome that makes a man a man). The structures of this chromosome are much older than humanity itself: some had suggested that the Y chromosome would gradually die out; research now shows this is unlikely.10th place: Starving cancerous cells (antiangiogenesis): Using a genetically engineered antibody (Avastin) for the first time in a study on a colon cancer patient, it has been possible to demonstrate that this therapy can actually prolong the life of cancer victims.

The number 1 "breakthrough of the year" was awarded to research on the age of dark material, which has made it possible to determine the age of the universe and the rate at which it is expanding.