Working his way through complexity – in so many ways – Don studied biology of viruses, the fruitfly Drosophila, and mouse in the US and UK before retiring his pipette in the mid-1990s. Taking up pencils, crayons and overhead sheets, he talked about and discussed biology, developed websites and worked with schools and the media. He joined the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute as Press and PR Officer in January 2000, just as ‘genomes’ were coming to a lively, rolling boil. Whether he has stirred the pot, fanned the flames or tempered the dish is undetermined.