This document discusses several topics related to RNA interference and gene silencing technologies: 1. It provides background on RNA interference (RNAi) and how it was discovered in C. elegans in 1998 to cause sequence-specific gene silencing through double-stranded RNA. 2. It outlines key developments in understanding RNAi mechanisms and its application across species from yeast to mammals. 3. It describes several applications of RNAi technology including determining gene function, pathway analysis, and identifying drug targets.