Some Thoughts on Conservation, Biodiversity, Museums, Molecular Characters, Systematics, and Basic Research

Conservation biology and molecular genetics are two of the most dynamic and rapidly expanding fields of science. Both fields are complex and interact with many issues that are not only important to mammalogy, but to society in general. Several such issues are addressed including the use of genetic markers in conservation programs, the use of phylogenetic theory and molecular markers in understanding the epidemiology of hantavirus and human immunodeficiency virus, the value of museum collections to society, and techniques that improve the field collection of DNA samples from voucher specimens.