Welcome to Mobile DNA

The mobile DNA community has a strong appreciation and respect for biological inquiry at multiple levels. This view has been encouraged since the rediscovery of mobile genetic elements in the late 1970's. For example, the mobile DNA community holds international meetings every few years that are characterized by sessions ranging from molecular mechanisms to evolutionary impacts of mobile genetic elements. Despite growth of the discipline, the breadth of these international meetings has persisted because of what has been gained from this broad perspective. One goal of this journal is to propagate and reinforce our discipline's appreciation for breadth of biological inquiry.The theme of breadth and inclusivity has also characterized the published volumes compiled by mobile DNA researchers. For example, in 1983, James Shapiro edited a volume of articles entitled Mobile Genetic Elements [1], which was followed by Mobile DNA in 1989 [2] and Mobile DNA II in 2002 [3]. Mobile DNA II has become an essential reference book for many laboratories, despite its awkwardly large size - the consequence of both the rapid growth of the discipline and the community's adherence to the theme of inclusivity. We hope that this journal - Mobile DNA - will provide a new forum for coalescing the community's most recent scientific discoveries.As an online, open access journal, all articles published in Mobile DNA are available to readers without charge [4]. We hope that this will ensure that our collective findings are available to all, and that the stories of our discipline are not limited to what can be contained in a single volume. Further, we hope that the journal will serve as a forum to discuss new directions for research as well as to reflect upon what we've learned by recounting past accomplishments in our discipline. In this regard, we are pleased that our inaugural edition contains a review by James Shapiro on mobile DNA and evolution, some 27 years after he edited his important boo