Crossing paths and avoiding catastrophe—an outsider’s inside view of yeast genetics

Abstract The substance of this article was presented at the 32nd International Conference on Yeast Genetics and Molecular Biology. It traces the evolution of yeast genetics, its developmental milestones and influential figures. It highlights Daniel Hartl’s mentoring of and associations with postdoctoral fellows and key yeast investigators, from the hills of Berkeley to the halls of Harvard. It communicates Mario Polsinelli’s contributions to yeast population genetics and his role in rescuing a famous Tuscan winery from fermentation failure and financial desolation. It is a story of novel collaborative accomplishments, including DNA analysis of samples taken from ancient Egyptian wine jars and transcriptome analyses of vineyard yeast strains. It underscores the richness of yeast genetics and the immense impact of interdisciplinary curiosity and collaboration.