The first human genome to be sequenced took about thirteen years, and cost a few billion dollars.  A new product from Life Technologies has dramatically improved upon that, offering sequencing of an entire human genome sequence in under a day and at a cost under $1000!  The machine itself costs around $150k, so would pay for itself pretty quickly (current costs for sequencing a genome are around $10k+).  We’re entering a new era of medical care enabled by information like this, and it’ll be exciting to watch how these technologies are used (such as in preventative care, also with targeting medications).

(via Core77)