Genetic Variation

As we look back at 2007, it's time to judge the best books, the best movies - and the best scientific discoveries. The prestigious journal Science came out with its "Breakthrough of the Year" in the [December:November] 20th edition. The [runner-up:journal] was the discovery that skin cells could be [manipulated:discriminated] to behave like embryonic stem cells. The number one pick? Human genetic variation.Scientists have been learning increasing amounts about how genes influence traits and diseases. At the same time, we hear about how little difference there is between us and our not-so-distant cousins, chimps and gorillas. But this year, researchers sequenced the genomes of thousands of individual people. They looked at [variations:levels] in short stretches of DNA called single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs. We each have millions of SNPs in our DNA. Scientists [discovered:found] how much we vary from one another on this basic level-crucial info for [understanding:knowing] everything from who gets diabetes to who's at risk for breast cancer to maybe even why I can't stand cilantro.For more information on the breakthroughs of the year, go to sciencemag.org.