They discovered that there might be water on Mars and that cloned pig organs could be useful for transplants. Then again, these are just small steps compared to Hollywood's grand visions of what the future might bring. That's because those in the movie business have an obligation to entertain audiences. Still, there are some truths in the fiction. In the movies, both of these subjects generally make for high drama.
Cloning gone awry, revolting replicants, viruses wiping out whole towns - now that's entertainment.
He is sent back in time to stop the virus from mutating but gets sent too far back and winds up in 1990, where he's considered crazy and thrown into an insane asylum. He has to battle his evil self. With the advent of the AIDS and Ebola viruses, deadly infections are a very real threat. However, ironically, scientists are using genetic technology to battle diseases by analyzing actual DNA codes of patients to prevent illness before symptoms start. They are even experimenting with gene mutation that may give humans longer life spans.