Nature Reviews Genetics is all about the big picture. What are the foundations and implications of today's genetics? What's new? Where is the excitement and the controversy?

Genetics is always in the news; everybody thinks about genetics. To an extent, all life scientists are geneticists because genetic technology and the accumulation of genomic information has enriched all of biology. You may or may not call yourself a geneticist, but if you work on genes you need to know about the latest developments. Nature Reviews Genetics will keep you abreast of these, but there's much more to be gained from our pages. The synthesis of one aspect of genetics, written by a leader in the field, is exciting and inspirational. Presented well, such a synthesis can expand a reader's vision into new and unfamiliar territory. And genetics is about making connections — between phenotype and genotype, zygote and adult, ancestor and descendant. Connections can be made in many ways, but breadth of knowledge will surely help. So, for many reasons, maintaining a broad and up-to-date perspective on genetics is essential. It's also enriching and it's fun. Our aim is to help you achieve that.

At the heart of the design of Nature Reviews Genetics are qualities that characterize great science — elegance and simplicity. The organization of the journal is also straightforward — just three sections, each with a clear purpose. Online, we have provided features that increase the value of a review as a launching pad for further investigation (such as linking from gene or disease names to public databases). Flicking through the pages and clicking through the website are the easiest ways to see what we have to offer, but a ‘Guide to Nature Reviews' is also available on our website.

We are confident you're going to enjoy this. Welcome to your first issue!