VIII Darwin Day at the Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw

01 04 2025

We warmly invite you to the VIII Darwin Day at the Faculty of Biology, UW, taking place on April 12, organized by the Student Association of Evolutionary Biology. This year’s theme is the origins of life on Earth.

During the event, attendees will have the opportunity to listen to lectures by scientists specializing in evolutionary biology and paleontology. Between lecture sessions, a panel discussion will be held, where experts from various fields will answer questions about the origins of life.

Breaks between the sessions will feature interactive presentations: workshop „The world under the microscope”, exhibition of paleontological and paleoartistic specimens. Exhibitions will take palce in the main hall of the Faculty of Biology; lectures & discussion panel – in the lecture hall 9B

Event Schedule:

10:00 The Oldest Traces of Life – A Geological Perspective, Dr. hab. Wojciech Kozłowski, Prof. UW
10:25 Experimental Ichnology as a Key to Recognizing the Oldest Burrowing Animals of the Phanerozoic, Dr. hab. Anna Żylińska, Prof. UW
10:50 Velumbrella czarnockii – Mysterious Cambrian Animals from Brzechów near Kielce, Kamil Poteralski
11:15 Tracking Fossil Behavior – Bivalves and Their Fossilized Soft Tissues, Dr. Aleksandra Skawina

11:40 – 12:30 Break

12:30 – 13:30 Panel Discussion: Searching for the Origins of Life – Perspectives from a Geneticist, Biologist, and Geologist. Speakers: Prof. Dr. hab. Paweł Golik, Prof. Dr. hab. Krzysztof Spalik, Prof. Dr. hab. Ireneusz Walaszczyk

13:30 – 14:00 Break 2

14:00 Let My World Turn Green – The Role of Fungi in the Colonization of Land, Dr. Alicja Okrasińska
14:25 Ancient Peptides – (Very) Early Evolution of Proteins, Dr. Małgorzata Orłowska
14:50 Back in Time: How Did Eukaryotes Begin to Produce Their Own Food?, Dr. Iván García Cunchillos
15:15 Origin and Evolution of Crocodylians, Dr. Yohan Pochat-Cottilloux
15:40 Evolution in New Environments: The Case of Urban Birds, Ignacy Stadnicki

The event is free and open to all.