Dr. Greg Graffin visited the National Museum of Natural History on July 10 at the invitation of Assoc. Prof. Tihomir Stefanov, the museum’s deputy director. Dr. Graffin holds a PhD in zoology from Cornell University and is a professor of natural sciences at the University of California and Cornell University. His research interests lie in the fields of evolutionary biology and palaeontology. In addition to being a zoologist, Dr. Graffin is the lead singer and co-founder of the Bad Religion band which is participating in the sixth edition of the Midalidare Rock in the Wine Valley International Rock Festival. The two toured the new storage facilities for the scientific collections built with European funding under the DiSSCo project where Assoc. Prof. Stefanov gave him a [...]

The Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research of BAS (IBER–BAS) hosted the specialized training course “Quantitative Numerical Analyses and Data Stewardship Training” which took place from June 15 to 19.  The event was organized as part of the COST Action CA23116 – Open Palaeoecological Data: Analysing the Past, Building Foresight (PalaeOpen). Sixty researchers from 35 scientific institutions in 18 countries participated in the training. The main objective of the COST Action is to deepen understanding of environmental changes over millennia and the adaptation of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems to climatic and anthropogenic impacts through the analysis of various types of palaeoecological data. The initiative promotes the synchronization, standardization, and integration of these data into a unified European system for their storage and sharing, thereby contributing [...]

Scientists from institutes of BAS participated in an initiative to reforest the campus of Scientific Complex 1. Red oaks, birches, and pines were planted during the month marking Forest Week and Earth Day. The initiative by young scientists from the Academy’s three institutes - for forest research, population and human studies, and space research and technology - which began last year, continues, said the Vice-President of BAS Prof. Shtelian Shterionov. The landscaping of the Scientific Complex and the planting of saplings are being carried out under the guidance of landscape specialists, he added. The director of the Forest Research Institute, Corresponding Member Georgi Georgiev, announced that plans were underway to develop a comprehensive project for landscaping and irrigation of the area.

The 37th session of the International Co-ordinating Council (MAB-ICC) of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme was held in Hangzhou, China, from 26 to 28 September 2025. Bulgaria, which is a full member of this highest governing body of the Programme, was represented by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ina Aneva - Scientific Secretary of the Biodiversity, Bioresources and Ecology Division, elected by the UNESCO General Conference for a four-year term. The Hangzhou session brought together representatives from countries around the world to chart the future of the Man and the Biosphere Programme, discuss strategic priorities and consider proposals for new biosphere reserves. During the sessions, Assoc. Prof. Aneva took part and expressed Bulgaria's position on issues of the agenda. She welcomed the digitalization of MAB processes [...]