As I sit here attempting to write up 7 years of work into a Big Paper (and thesis) during these twilight months of my PhD, I’ve been reminded of why I chose to train as a scientist: biology is damn cool. One of my favourite things is explaining to non-science friends why I find biology so exciting. This often comes with questions about what my thesis is about. I think I’ve nailed the elevator pitch by now, but for those of you who haven’t had the fortune of being cornered at a party listening...