Science, the prestige scientific journal, recognize "Human Genetic Variation" as the "Breakthrough of the Year" in the Dec. 21 issue, which is released on Thursday.

In 2007, researchers were dazzled by the degree to which genomes differ from one human to another and began to understand the role of these variations in disease and personal traits, said the journal in a press release on Thursday.

The genomes of several individuals have already been sequenced. As technologies advance, many of the people will have some, perhaps all, of their own genomes sequenced and will be able to learn the diseases for which they are at risk.

"For years we've been hearing about how similar people are to one another and even to other apes," said Robert Coontz, deputy news editor for physical sciences who managed the selection process.

"In 2007, advances on several fronts drove home for the first time how much DNA differs from person to person, too. It's a huge conceptual leap that will affect everything from how doctors treat diseases to how we see ourselves and protect our privacy."

The journal also identify nine other of the year's most significant scientific accomplishments, including the technology to reprogram cells.