Blood stem cells: from beginning to end

In June 2016, around 200 scientists from all over the world gathered at EMBL headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany to discuss the recent advances in hematopoietic stem cells from three different angles: developmental, adulthood and aging. The meeting, aptly named 'Hematopoietic stem cells: from the embryo to the aging organism' also covered cutting-edge technologies applied to this subject, such as single-cell analysis, reprogramming and imaging. This Meeting review summarizes the exciting work that was presented and covers the main themes that emerged from the meeting.