Programme of international events

14 May, 3 pm, Energy Hall
workshop for children in English with sign language interpreting to Bulgarian

We will go fossil hunting! But we will do this in the classroom during this hands оn activity!  Participants will work in pairs and clean and then sort through a sample of fossil-rich sediment from North Carolina, U.S.A. In this sediment there are some tiny complete fossils (a few mm in length) and also a lot of shell fragments from shelled-creatures (also fossils). From the collected fossils participants will identify their fossils and consider what fossils can tell us about the past.

Michael Sandy spent his professional career as a teacher and researcher of geology in the UK and the USA. Today he lives in Bulgaria and continues his passion for fossils and geology through public outreach.

14 May, 6 pm, Cosmos Hall
suitable for adults 18+

Many drugs have long been subject to policies  supposedly designed to reduce use harms but in practice driven by political machinations and moral judgements. As well as being unjust and encouraging the us relatively harmful but legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco these policies seriously inhibit research and clinical treatment. The worst example is the global ban on psychedelics that was initiated under the 1971 UN Conventions  and still exists today. Other drugs such as cannabis and MDMA have similarly been banned though not for as long.  together these bans represent the worst censorship of research in the history of science, that have held back research for patient benefit for decades. The extent of the harm this ban has done is becoming apparent from the recent renaissance of research with medical cannabis psilocybin and MDMA. These have revealed major effects in disorders such as addiction PTSD and depression. Join Prof. David Nutt from Imperial College London for to explore the misconceptions that drive the international bans, reveal the latest data on the comparative safety of these compounds and also reveal some of the neuroscience advances that have been made with these compounds that help explain their therapeutic effects.

Get your book signed by Prof. Nutt after the event. 

In partnership with British Council Bulgaria, Centre for Humane Policies and Iztok-Zapad Publishing House.

15 May, 7:30 pm, Cosmos Hall

Plastic production has risen dramatically over the past century. Although these low-cost durable materials have allowed countless applications that support modern life, they also fragment into persistent smaller pieces. Plastic particles smaller than 5 mm are called microplastics. First reported in oceans and seas, microplastics have since been detected in every environmental and biological matrix examined to date. This raises key questions: what do microplastics mean for the long-term functioning of ecosystems, and do they pose a risk to human health? Find out more with Joana C. Prata, DVM PhD, Auxiliary Professor at the University Institute of Health Sciences in Porto, Portugal.

In partnership with Portuguese Cultural Center Camões – Embassy of Portugal

16 May, 1 pm, Laboratory Hall

À partir de l’ouvrage Psychopathologie du sujet contemporain (Ciccone & Tordo, 2025), cette intervention propose une lecture clinique des transformations actuelles de la souffrance psychique dans un monde marqué par des mutations rapides — sociales, technologiques, écologiques et culturelles.
L’accélération et les mutations sociales, ainsi que la modernité liquide, exposent aujourd’hui le sujet à de nouvelles formes de tension psychique. Dans ce contexte, certaines manifestations cliniques semblent témoigner de processus de désubjectivation : affaiblissement de la conflictualité interne, épisode de dissociation, sentiment de vide, états de dévitalisation ou encore formes narcissiques-limites de régulation du lien à soi et aux autres.
Cette communication proposera d’examiner ces configurations psychopathologiques contemporaines, ainsi que leurs expressions dans différents espaces de la vie sociale, en particulier dans les espaces numériques. L’objectif sera de montrer comment ces formes de souffrance éclairent les transformations actuelles des processus de subjectivation.
En français. Interprétariat en bulgare.
En partenariat avec l’Institut français de Bulgarie

16 May, 2 pm, Cosmos Hall

The remarkable capabilities of artificial intelligence are enabled by the availability of massive computational resources, typically delivered by supercomputers or High Performance Computing (HPC) systems. However, these systems require equally substantial amounts of energy to operate. This presentation examines the computational demands of some of the most prominent AI algorithms, outlines the types of computing infrastructures needed to support them, and evaluates their energy consumption and environmental impact. The aim is to promote awareness and understanding of the real costs associated with the intensive use of artificial intelligence technologies. Explore the facts with the director of the Technological Innovation Research Institute at Area Science Park in Italy, Stefano Cozzini.

In partnership with Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Sofia

16 May, 2:30 pm, Laboratory Hall

To understand the present, we must reconstruct the past. Just as political history explains modern borders and alliances, evolutionary history explains why organisms have the forms they do and why they live where they do. Systematics may sometimes appear old-fashioned, yet every biologist ultimately works with particular organisms, and any knowledge about structure, function, or ecology only becomes predictive when placed within an evolutionary framework. Long before Darwin, biologists spoke of “natural systems”. Today, phylogenetic systematics provides the explicit and testable methodology to approach that goal.
One of the great strengths of modern evolutionary (phylogenetic) set of methods is transparency. Phylogenetic hypotheses are built from defined data and explicit analytical methods. They may be right or wrong, but they are testable. Debate therefore concerns evidence, not authority. At the same time, evolutionary trees are among the most frequently misunderstood scientific diagrams. Together with Dr. Fedor Konstantinov from the National Natural History Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences explore why trees do not depict progress, “higher” and “lower” organisms, or “main” and “side” branches. One cannot judge relatedness by reading across the tips or by counting similarities. Only the branching pattern matters. Frogs are not “closer to fish than to humans.” Crocodiles are more closely related to birds than to lizards. Humans did not evolve from chimpanzees. Trees describe shared ancestry, not living ancestor–descendant chains.
The logic of inference is similar whether we analyze morphology or DNA: we seek homologous characters and distinguish them from convergence. Molecular data, however, have transformed the scale of analysis. Even a single gene may provide hundreds of characters; genomic approaches provide many thousands. This abundance of discrete, comparable characters has stimulated the development of increasingly powerful statistical methods and has turned phylogenetics into one of the most dynamic fields in evolutionary biology.

1 May, 3:30 pm, Cosmos Hall

AI Technology Innovation for Surgical and Interventional Operating Rooms and the OR-ROBOT-SURGEON Convergence

With the rapid advancement of digital medical technology, traditional surgical operating rooms are undergoing a profound intelligent transformation. This report aims to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) technology is integrated into the technological development of hybrid operating rooms during perioperative and interventional procedures, and to elucidate the principle of the evolution from simple human-machine interaction to deep-seated “human-robot collaboration” between surgeons and robotic systems. Join Prof. Lei Wang from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences to explore development trends of hybrid operating rooms, typical scenarios, and the latest examples of AI applications.

In partnership with the Chinese Embassy

16 May, 5 pm, Cosmos Hall

Antarctica is often described as a “blank spot” on the map — the only continent without sovereign ownership, governed under the Antarctic Treaty. Yet behind this legal framework lies a little-known chapter of human history. Only eleven people have ever been born on the Antarctic continent — the most extreme and geopolitically unique territory on Earth.

José Manuel Valladares is the sixth, and the only unplanned birth among them. His birth occurred during a 48-hour official inspection visit following a devastating fire that had destroyed much of Argentina’s Base Esperanza. Born prematurely at six months of gestation, he was delivered inside a recently damaged facility without hospital infrastructure — a human event no government had scripted. His survival unfolded in one of the most extreme environments on Earth, highlighting both the fragility of life and the limits of political design.

This event is inspired by the book “Antarctica – History, Nature, Bulgarian Antarcticans” by Iglika Trifonova and Prof. Hristo Pimpirev. After the talk you can get a signed copy of the book.

In Spanish

In partnership with the Embassy of Spain and the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute

16 May, 5:30 pm, Laboratory Hall

Des gueules cassées à l’allotransplantation de la face – histoire d’une chirurgie

Quand la défiguration n’a, de l’antiquité jusqu’au début du XXème siècle fait l’objet que d’une lecture philosophique, spirituelle, voire artistique, elle n’a suscité une prise en charge médicale que depuis le début du XXème siècle. La Première Guerre mondiale, par le nombre de blessés qu’elle a engendrés, a marqué la naissance de la chirurgie reconstructrice crâniofaciale.

Cette discipline n’a cessé, depuis, de se développer, certes aidée par les progrès de la technologie, mais surtout par ma prise de conscience de la dimension vitale particulière que pouvait avoir le visage.

C’est cette belle histoire qui sera ici contée et illustrée.

En français. Interprétariat en bulgare.
En partenariat avec l’Institut français de Bulgarie

17 May, 2 pm, Laboratory Hall

Les drones font désormais partie de notre quotidien. Ils ne servent plus seulement à filmer de belles images. Ils rendent aussi des services considérables dans de nombreux domaines : sécurité, transports, secours, recherche scientifique… Mais comment pilote-t-on réellement ces engins fascinants ? Cette conférence vous invite à découvrir la gamme de drones conçue par le constructeur aéronautique européen Airbus, ainsi que les solutions développées pour les piloter depuis un hélicoptère.

17 May, 2:30 pm, Cosmos Hall

Recently, there is a shift in our understanding of inflammation. Most chronic inflammatory diseases (such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases) have been associated with errors in the resolution phase of inflammation. A multidisciplinary scientific network EU-RESOLVE, brings together scientists and physicians with a goal to synchronize knowledge gaps in the mechanisms regulating the resolution of inflammation, tissue repair and regeneration in various immune-mediated diseases. Dr. Petya Dimitrova from the Stephan Angelov Institute of Microbiology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and her colleagues from the EU-RESOLVE network, Dr. Eoin Brennan and Dr. Monica di Gaetano from University College Dublin, Ireland, will meet virtually to discuss together new approaches to suppress renal and cardiovascular complications in diabetes, exploiting natural mechanisms of the resolution of inflammation. Dr. Dimitrova will host the discussion. Dr. Brennan will focus on the therapeutic effects of the synthetic molecules, called lipoxin mimetics, which are inspired by a naturally occurring lipid, lipoxin A4, on recovery from renal complications in diabetes. Dr. Monica di Gaetano will demonstrate how a therapeutic strategy using pro-resolving mediators can combined with established diabetes therapies and anti-lipid agents to reduce metabolic and lipid-driven risk factors and to resolve directly inflammation, helping to clear arterial “traffic” more effectively and protect the cardiovascular system. The audience will also be able to take part in the discussion.

To learn more for the EU-RESOLVE network, visit the website https://euresolve.eu/.

17 May, 4 pm, Cosmos Hall

After the successful flight of the Artemis 2 mission, plans for the construction of a lunar base now have a starting date. And with it, humanity’s dream of reaching Mars is becoming more and more real. Hydrogen plays a key role both for the normal functioning of the lunar base and the life of the teams in it, and as a fuel for the further flight to Mars. Meet the scientist in whose hands the future hydrogen storage system of the lunar base is entrusted, Prof. Franz Renz. Learn from him how close he is to creating a comfortable airflow for breathing on the future base, how space technologies and his hydrogen storage system on the Moon will help here on Earth, and what challenges he needs to solve before the installation on the Moon begins!

In partnership with the Austrian Embassy

17 May, 5 pm, Energy Hall

“The Blue Planet Outside the Window – Shen Zhou 13”  is China’s first documentary film shot in space. Shenzhou-13 astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, and Ye Guangfu, who served as the film’s cinematographers, captured the majority of the footage aboard the Chinese space station. Inspired by the Shenzhou-13 mission—the first to carry out a six-month stay in orbit—the story unfolds through the eyes of astronaut Wang Yaping, guiding audiences on an immersive journey 400 kilometers above Earth. Through this perspective, viewers witness the breathtaking beauty of our planet and experience the astronauts’ genuine emotions in the vastness of space.

Filmed using a groundbreaking cinematic approach inside the Chinese space station, the movie offers both awe-inspiring, never-before-seen visuals of space and intimate glimpses into the astronauts’ daily lives. From the routine operations onboard to the serene views of the blue Earth drifting past the window, from the scientific experiments conducted in the space lab to the dazzling city lights shimmering beneath the night sky—the audience is transported into the heart of China’s space station. There, they witness the nation’s remarkable achievements in space exploration and feel the enduring allure of the cosmos.

17 May, 5:30 pm, Cosmos Hall

Are humans really alone in this incomprehensively vast universe?  It seems unlikely but how will we really know?  In our age of social media, memes, cult beliefs and AI imagery, many people are convinced they know already. But how can we apply science to really learn the answer?  

Since Earth is the only planet known to have life, how can we be sure we are searching for the right signs elsewhere? How do we even define life in a way that does not merely reflect our terrestrial biases? When we are exploring other planets in our own solar system with spacecraft, or peering at distant exoplanets through space telescopes, and we find something we don’t expect or understand, how can we distinguish a genuine alien detection from an unknown geologic or atmospheric phenomenon?

To sort this out, astrobiologists have worked hard to define a set of “standards of evidence” – a series of questions we pose when making a discovery:  Can we confirm that the signal is real? Are there nonbiological ways to explain it?  What further observations can we make that will confirm if we’ve found a real biosignature, and so on.

As an astrobiologist who has led NASA’s efforts in this area and served on the recent (first ever) NASA study of UAP (unidentified anomalous phenomena), David Grinspoon will give an insider’s perspective on the science of these rapidly progressing questions:  How will we know alien life when we find it? And, in the meantime, how can we communicate about these efforts in a way that helps, rather than hinders, public understanding?