Mobile DNA: Finding Treasure in Junk

Preface: Thoughts on doing science

Before diving into the subject of mobile DNA and my adventures in the field, I’d like to provide a few personal tips from my experience on working with some success in science for the past 45 years. Doing science is often very difficult and extremely hard work, requiring long hours. In my view, the first thing necessary is very high personal motivation. My original and long-time mentor, Barton Childs, an esteemed Professor of Pediatrics and the “father of pediatric genetics,” always used to say, “You’ve got to burn to do research!” You can’t go at it with a half-hearted enthusiasm or self-doubt.

If you do have high personal motivation, you then need to get excellent training, both in didactic class work and ...