Cold Spring Harbor meeting on Biology and Genomics of Social Insects

We are pleased to announce a special meeting on the Biology and Genomics of Social Insects which will begin at 7:00 pm on Saturday, May 2, 2015 and run through lunch on Tuesday, May 5. The 2015 meeting will discuss recent advances in social insects, with an emphasis on new findings made possible by the sequencing of the genomes and transcriptomes of dozens of species (ants, bees, wasps, termites). This range allows, for the first time, a convergence of knowledge about the molecular basis and mechanisms of sociality in taxa that evolved sociality independently. Topics of this meeting are comparative and functional genomics of caste determination, division of labor, phenotypic plasticity, learning, physiology and immunity. There will be two special sessions on microbiomes and immunity in social insects with an emphasis on honey bees. The meeting is intended to provide a format for the exchange of ideas and information, to discuss the latest research findings and technical advances, and to facilitate interaction among groups active in diverse systems.