Re: What do you feel is the most signifcant discovery in the last 5 years?

Lauren,

Ah--an opinion question, instead of the usual search for facts! This is the 
kind of question that is best dealt with in a discussion format, where 
several people can listen, question, challenge, probe, and respond with 
their feelings. It's also a question that would get ten different answers 
from ten different people, I expect.

However, since this is a one-way medium, I'll propose the following. And 
since the question was posed in the Zoology area, I'll assume you mean the 
most significant in the area of animal science.

The discovery that I feel is the most significant is the successful cloning 
of mammalian species--Dolly the sheep 3 years ago, and the six piglets just 
this week. The potential benefits to human medicine, as well as the 
challenges to medical ethics, are profound. And the possible use of this 
technique to clone humans would be a _really_ significant change.

Of course, if you had asked me this question yesterday, I might have 
responded differently. There is no "correct" answer!