Molecular Switches Top Science Story
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
The discovery of molecules that instantly shut off genes was the top science story of the year, according to Science magazine.
The molecular switches, called small interfering RNAs or siRNAs, have the potential to treat such diseases as HIV and cancer. Runners-up for top discovery were a measurement of the mass of neutrinos; the complete genome of the parasite that causes malaria; cameras that take pictures in a billionth of a billionth of a second; and the finding of a 7-million-year-old skeleton in Africa that may be the oldest human ancestor.
