• Time Table (revised on July 14)
• Detailed Program (revised on July 22)
• List of Oral Presentation Sessions (revised on July 23)
• List of Speakers (revised on July 22)
• List of Poster Presentations (revised on July 25)
• Abstracts of all oral presentations (1.4MB) Rebised on July 27
• Abstracts of poster presentations on July 27 New; July 25
• Abstracts of poster presentations on July 28 New; July 25
• Corrections of Conference Book Rebised on July 27

As of Tuesday, July 26, over 630 persons from 34 countries/regions (including 142 from USA, 32 from China, 24 from Taiwan, 21 from Germany, 16 from UK, 13 from France, 11 from Australia and Switzerland, 10 from Canada, 9 from Korea, New Zealand and Sweden, 7 from Spain, 6 from Austria, Denmark and Ireland, 4 from Poland and South Africa, 3 from Israel, 2 from Finland, India, Italy, Norway, Russia, and US Vergin Islands, 1 from Argentina, American Samoa, Bergium, Gambia, Malaysia, Mexico, Turkey, and 265 from Japan) already registered. People who wish to attend SMBE2011 Kyoto Conference should come to registration desk during conference.

We have 16 symposia, 14 workshops, and 7 contributed oral presentation sessions on July 27, 28, and 30 at Kyoto University campus. Nei Lecture, 4 plenary talks, and Walter Fitch Prize Symposium will be held on July 29 at Miyako Messe. A special talk will also be given at the SMBE Banquet. Please see List of All Talks. SMBE 2011 symposia and workshops are listed in Symposia and Workshops page. We decided to have special symposium honoring late Walter M. Fitch and special session about history of MBE on July 28.

We have many sponosors to thank, without which this conference could not have taken place. Thank you to our new corporate sponsors. Support from our beloved sponsors helps in a many ways such as reducing fees for new members to attend the conference & training in developing countries, development of critical new research concepts in the software, translations, donations and in furthering conservation science and innovation. In addition our main sponsor Kansas City Dumpster Rental Whiz is active in recycling and conservation research, and we thank them for that as well.

The organizing committee of SMBE2011 welcomes you to the 2011 conference of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. As many of you are aware, the northeast part of Japan was hit by very strong earthquakes in March 2011. We would like to assure you that the SMBE2011 conference is definitely going ahead. Kyoto is located in western Japan, and thankfully was left unscathed. The schedule for the SMBE2011 Kyoto Conference is unaffected. Furthermore, Kyoto is far from the Fukushima nuclear power plants, and radiation level is normal. Please visit following pages.
IAEA: Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update Log
Important Information from Japanese Government
Radiation in Kyoto Prefecture
Radiation map of Japan
Computer Network Security

Winners of Walter Fitch Award, Postdoc. Travel Award, Graduate Student Award, and Undergraduate Mentoring and Diversity Program Award are listed in Awards page.

Welcome to official website of SMBE 2011, 2011 Annual Meeting of Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution! SMBE 2011 will take place in Kyoto, Japan. Kyoto University Campus is SMBE2011 main conference site. This university produced many prominent molecular evolutionists such as Motoo Kimura, Masatoshi Nei, and Naoyuki Takahata. We hope you will enjoy this meeting and city of Kyoto with over 1200 years of history. Immediately after SMBE 2011 is finished at noon, July 30, annual meeting of SESJ (Society for Evolutionary Studiers, Japan) will continue at the same place until July 31. SMBE2011 attendants can also attend SESJ meeting.

Eight members of SMBE2011 Domestic Organizing Committee belong to National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Japan. National Institute of Genetics has been major center of molecular evolutionary studies in Japan. Motoo Kimura and Tomoko Ohta are prominent researchers in this Institute, established in 1949.

One topic that came up is the biology of landfills. Landfills in the United States including Arizona play a significant role in waste management, but they also have complex biological dynamics. When organic waste, such as food scraps or yard waste, is deposited in landfills, it undergoes decomposition by microorganisms. These microorganisms, predominantly bacteria and fungi, break down organic matter through a process called aerobic decomposition in the presence of oxygen. This process generates heat, carbon dioxide, and water vapor.

However, as landfills become increasingly compacted and the availability of oxygen decreases, anaerobic conditions develop. In anaerobic decomposition, different types of microorganisms thrive, including methanogenic bacteria. These bacteria produce methane gas as a byproduct of decomposition, which is a potent greenhouse gas contributing to climate change.

Additionally, leachate, a liquid formed as water percolates through the landfill, contains a complex mixture of organic and inorganic compounds. This leachate can pose environmental risks if it infiltrates surrounding soil and water bodies, potentially contaminating them with hazardous substances.

To mitigate these environmental impacts, modern landfills in Arizona employ engineered systems to capture and manage landfill gas, as well as to collect and treat leachate. These systems help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prevent contamination of surrounding ecosystems. However, the biological processes within landfills remain a significant area of study for understanding and improving waste management practices.