Genetics affects every aspect of life on earth. As a science, it’s one of the
fastest growing fields because it has untold potential — for good and for
ill. Although complicated and diverse, all genetics comes down to basic principles
of heredity and how DNA is put together. So it turns out that genetics,
in many ways, is surprisingly accessible. Genetics is a bit like taking a peek
behind a movie’s special effects to find a deceptively simple and elegant
system running the whole show.
I may sound like a geek, but genetics is my favorite subject. If you’d told me
I’d end up feeling this way when I took my first genetics course, I would have
laughed. At first, I hated genetics (and I barely passed!). But as I learned more,
I was hooked. Now, my career follows the genetics of birds in hopes of helping
to conserve the natural beauty that makes our world such a wonderful place
to be. In the pages to come, I hope that I communicate my genuine enthusiasm
for this fascinating subject so that you, too, can appreciate the marvels
of this complex science.