From the top-headline story in today's local newspaper:
Advancements in HNA technology led to a crucial breakt in the [murder] investigation
and
It was an advancement in DNA science that gavee them their biggest break.

In this usage, is "advancement" in any way a more proper word than "advance"? Or is this a retreatment from proper usage?

advancement
n.
1 an advancing or being advanced
2 promotion, as to a higher rank
3 progress or improvement; furtherance
4 Law money or property given as an advance share in the estate of a person who later dies without making a will: it is deducted from the total share of the recipient in the intestate‘s estate

Yes, bill, but that's not the point I was trying to make:
What is the difference between and advancement (sense 1 or 3) and advance? And if there is in fact a distinction, then
-- which would be the proper word in the above context?
-- the above use of the plural, "advancements," suggests reference to specific techniques, rather than general progress (one would not refer to "progresses" in the plural). Is the meaning of advancement (3) one which can be pluralized?

From MW, for the record:

Main Entry: 2advance
Function: noun
Date: 1668
1 : a moving forward
2 a : progress in development <mistaking material advance for spiritual enrichment -- H. J. Laski> b : a progressive step : IMPROVEMENT <an advance in medical technique>
3 : a rise in price, value, or amount
4 : a first step or approach made <her attitude discouraged all advances>
5 : a provision of something (as money or goods) before a return is received; also : the money or goods supplied

Definition #2 is the one that has application to the article you cited, AR. It appears that advancement and advance may be used synonymously. The affective use of advancement over advance, strictly in my personal intuitive sense, is advancement sounds more progressional and advance sounds more completed.

I know I've heard the phrase, "Advancements in technology" and similar phrases.