From 23rd to 26th April, the MPI-CBG hosted the first international meeting exclusively dedicated to the Maternal-Zygotic Transition (MZT). Under the title "Awakening of the genome: The maternal-to-zygotic transition", a jam-packed meeting program was presented under the umbrella of the EMBO event series.
Focusing on genome activation allowed a first-ever platform for the MZT community. Participants from all over the world gathered to showcase an extensive range of techniques, approaches, and biological questions. Plenty of new and unpublished data made it exciting, a meeting size of ~150 participants meant that everyone could be easily approached, and the wish for a repeat meeting was voiced several times.