Humans are mammals, not bacteria or plants, yeast or nematodes, insects or fish. Mice are
also mammals, but unlike gorilla and goat, fox and ferret, giraffe and jackal, they are suited
perfectly to the laboratory environment and genetic experimentation. In this review, we will
summarize the tools, tricks and techniques for executing forward genetic screens in the
mouse and argue that this approach is now accessible to most biologists, rather than being
the sole domain of large national facilities and specialized genetics laboratories.