Based on presentations by world-renowned investigators at the 72nd annual Cold Spring Harbor Symposium on Quantitative Biology, this volume reviews the latest advances in biological clocks and rhythms. Topics include genetic and cellular studies aimed at characterizing circadian mechanisms; systems approaches to understanding physiological, endocrine, and neural networks; and models used for studying mental and physical cycles. A variety of normal and abnormal chronobiological patterns are discussed, including sleep, aging, migration, hibernation, seasonality, depression, and arrhythmias.

Based on presentations by world-renowned investigators at the 73rd annual Cold Spring Harbor Symposium on Quantitative Biology, this volume reviews the latest advances in research on the control and regulation of stem cells. The topics covered include nuclear reprogramming, regulation of stem cell self-renewal and differentiation, the stem cell niche, and signaling and gene regulation in stem cells. Studies of embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells are covered, along with research shedding light on the roles of these cells in regeneration and cancer.

Plants are integral to human wellbeing, and many species have been domesticated for over ten thousand years. Evidence of plant scientific investigation and classification can be found in ancient texts from cultures around the world (Chinese, Indian, Greco-Roman, Muslim etc.), while early modern botany can be traced to the late 15th and early 16th centuries in Europe. During the past several decades plant biology has been revolutionized first by molecular biology and then by the genomic era. The model organism Arabidopsis thaliana has proved an invaluable tool for investigation into fundamental processes in plant biology, many of which share commonalities with animal biology. Plant-specific processes from reproduction to immunity and second messengers have also yielded to extensive investigation. With the genomes of more than thirty plant species now available and many more planned in the near future, the impact on our understanding of plant evolution and biology continues to grow. Our increased ability to engineer plant species to a variety of ends may provide novel solutions to ensure adequate and reliable food production and renewable energy even as climate change impacts our environment. The decision to focus the 2012 Symposium on plant science reflects the enormous research progress achieved in recent years, and is intended to provide a broad synthesis of the current state of the field, setting the stage for future discoveries and application. This is the first Symposium in this historic series focused exclusively on the botanical sciences.
Plants are integral to human wellbeing, and many species have been domesticated for over ten thousand years. Evidence of plant scientific investigation and classification can be found in ancient texts from cultures around the world (Chinese, Indian, Greco-Roman, Muslim etc.), while early modern botany can be traced to the late 15th and early 16th centuries in Europe. During the past several decades plant biology has been revolutionized first by molecular biology and then by the genomic era. The model organism Arabidopsis thaliana has proved an invaluable tool for investigation into fundamental processes in plant biology, many of which share commonalities with animal biology. Plant-specific processes from reproduction to immunity and second messengers have also yielded to extensive investigation. With the genomes of more than thirty plant species now available and many more planned in the near future, the impact on our understanding of plant evolution and biology continues to grow. Our increased ability to engineer plant species to a variety of ends may provide novel solutions to ensure adequate and reliable food production and renewable energy even as climate change impacts our environment. The decision to focus the 2012 Symposium on plant science reflects the enormous research progress achieved in recent years, and is intended to provide a broad synthesis of the current state of the field, setting the stage for future discoveries and application. This is the first Symposium in this historic series focused exclusively on the botanical sciences.

This volume is based on presentations by world-renowned investigators who gathered at the 76th Cold Spring Harbor Symposium on Quantitative Biology. It reviews the latest advances in our understanding of metabolism and disease, including research on fat, exercise and rhythms; insulin resistance and sensitivity; lifespan, aging and cancer; regulation and dysregulation of metabolism; signaling and gene regulation; environment and sensing; metabolic reprogramming; clocks and intermediary metabolism; metabolism and cancer; and autophagy, timing and small RNAs.