The most exciting thing in science is not "Eureka," but rather, "that's funny." 1 Some projects arise from things we just don't understand and are better positioned to pursue than other labs. We found a novel gene (Nmf9) with an unusual evolutionary history and strong conservation of non-motif sequences. Parallel mutations in mice, fish, and flies show its requirement in balance, locomotion, and other neurological functions, but with different degrees of essentiality in different animals.
1 Attributed to Isaac Asimov.