Sometimes, science takes a big leap forward. This is often due to new technology that allows the study of questions previously difficult or even impossible to address. An example of this is provided in this issue (Vera et al. 2008) by the first large-scale attempt toward genome sequencing of an ecologically important model, based on the new '454-sequencing technology'. Using this new technology, the protein-coding sequences of the Glanville fritillary butterfly genome have now been largely characterized.