The opportunities for scientific discovery at the interface of the physical and biological sciences have attracted increasing attention over the past decade, evidenced by several insightful and comprehensive reports as well as a number of relatively new funding mechanisms. This 2010 symposium, jointly organized by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the W.M. Keck Foundation, and the Swartz Foundation, brought together key federal and private non-profit funders interested in exploiting these opportunities. The two day meeting highlighted current puzzles in biology from the perspective of different biological systems, chosen because of their potential to illuminate some common issues that cut across multiple levels of biological organization, and across multiple biological subfields. Cross-cutting themes for the sessions included variability, robustness, and homeostasis; adaptation and evolution; and signals, noise, and control. Speakers were asked to identify the ideas that currently generate significant excitement, as well as the obstacles that hinder pursuit of those questions. This summary highlights the ideas, issues, and solutions that arose during the symposium. It is not intended to be comprehensive, but rather, can form the basis for continued discussions on how to assemble the resources needed to capitalize on these opportunities.

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