---
title: "Breakthrough of the Year"
chunk: 1/1
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakthrough_of_the_Year"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T04:08:38.062541+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

The Breakthrough of the Year is an annual award for the most significant development in scientific research made by the AAAS journal Science, an academic journal covering all branches of science.
Originating in 1989 as the Molecule of the Year, and inspired by Time's Person of the Year, it was renamed the Breakthrough of the Year in 1996.


== Molecule of the Year ==
1989 PCR and DNA polymerase
1990 the manufacture of synthetic diamonds
1991 buckminsterfullerene
1992 nitric oxide
1993 p53
1994 DNA repair enzyme


== Breakthrough of the Year ==
1996: Understanding HIV
1997: Dolly the sheep, the first mammal to be cloned from adult cells
1998: Accelerating universe
1999: Prospective stem-cell therapies
2000: Full genome sequencing
2001: Nanocircuits or Molecular circuit
2002: RNA interference
2003: Dark energy
2004: Spirit rover landed on Mars
2005: Evolution in action
2006: Proof of the Poincaré conjecture
2007: Human genetic variation
2008: Cellular reprogramming
2009: Ardipithecus ramidus
2010: The first quantum machine
2011: HIV treatment as prevention (HPTN 052)
2012: Discovery of the Higgs boson
2013: Cancer immunotherapy
2014: Rosetta comet mission
2015: CRISPR genome-editing method
2016: First observation of gravitational waves
2017: Neutron star merger (GW170817)
2018: Single-cell sequencing
2019: A black hole made visible
2020: COVID-19 vaccine, developed and tested at record speed
2021: An AI brings protein structures to all
2022: James Webb Space Telescope debut
2023: GLP-1 Drugs
2024: Lenacapavir
2025: The unstoppable rise of renewable energy


== See also ==
Physics World – also has a Breakthrough of the Year award


== References ==