Have you ever wondered how plant scientists discover new species in a genus? In this interview, we sit down with Dr Mark Hughes, a begonia researcher from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, who tells us some fantastic stories about wild begonia. Mark is a plant biologist, focusing on the taxonomy and biogeography of the mega-diverse flowering-plant genus Begonia. He has traveled across Southeast Asia in search of exotic begonia, and in this episode we discuss how this globetrotting translates into tangible biodiversity discoveries. Later, we also discuss the milestone of the century: 100 years of genetics research here at the University of Edinburgh