The National Museum of Natural History, Sofia during Researchers’ Night

As is traditional, Researchers’ Night at the National Museum of Natural History, Sofia took place on the last Friday in September — the 26th of September 2025, from 17:30 to 21:00. A high point of the event was the temporary exhibition “Nature Decoded: the genome revolution in studying biodiversity, or how genomics changes the ways we understand humans and nature” of Dr Stefaniya Kamenova (author) and Dr Zlatka Yaramova (designer). The exhibition introduces visitors to the emerging scientific field of genomics by briefly presenting its different aspects and applications for medicine and human health, as well as the study and conservation of biodiversity.

The realisation of this exhibition is part of the series of events “Autumn scientific routes” organised by the “Beautiful Science” Foundation, with support from Sofia Municipality’s program “Sofia — city of the young and active.”

For the first time, Researchers’ Night welcomed the science communication platform RATIO with a discussion between Prof Dr Stoyan Stavru, leader of the Ethical Studies department at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and Dr Stefaniya Kamenova from NMNHS, who talked about the various ethical questions posed by the science of genomics. The discussion was moderated by Liubomir Baburov, founder and director of RATIO.

In their introductory presentations, the two scientists outlined the ways in which developments in genomics and DNA sequencing are generating new ethical concerns related to the access, use, and protection of our genetic data and biodiversity patents. Genome sequencing has allowed researchers to explore the incredible diversity of life on Earth in its full complexity for the first time, and environmental DNA (eDNA) helps them find the presence of life just from samples of soil, water, or air — without capturing or seeing the organisms themselves. These methods are changing the way in which we observe and research nature — faster, more accurate, and without damaging species and the environment.

In the following discussion, the researchers formulated some complex and multi-layered questions which require wider public engagement and debate in order to find adequate answers and solutions.

Prof Dr Stoyan Stavru is a lawyer, Doctor of Law, Doctor of Philosophical Sciences, and Master of Social and Legal Psychology. His main research interests lie in the areas of bioethics and biolaw, body ethics, neuro-law, and cognitive sciences. He is a lecturer in medicinal- and biolaw.

Dr Stefaniya Kamenova is a molecular ecologist, Senior Assistant at the National Museum of Natural History, Sofia, and an elected Citizen Science Ambassador in the European Citizen Science project.

With his popular science presentation “Dodo — The First” and a tour in the Bird hall, Prof Zlatozar Boev presented the newest exhibit in the Vertebrate section of the museum — a 3D model of the dodo. For scientists and nature conservationists, dodo is an emblematic species that marks the beginning of a tragic series of globally extinct species — victims of human recklessness, greed, and ignorance. The question of whether its antipode, or long-awaited first extinct species to be restored to nature, will appear soon is one that contemporary science seeks to answer. According to research presented in Prof Boev’s talk, we are getting ever closer to making this idea, until recently considered absurd, a reality and, thanks to developments in science, we can already see the first “resurrected” species.

Prof D.Sc. Zlatozar Boev is a zoologist, ornithologist, and paleontologist. He is a founder of palaeornithology as a research field in Bulgaria. He has created the richest collections of fossil and sub-fossil birds on the Balkans and in South-eastern Europe, a comparative osteological collection of recent birds, and a scientific library with over 15 000 palaeontology and bird evolution publications at NMNHS. He has discovered and described 4 genera, 32 species, and 1 subspecies of fossilised birds from Bulgaria and Greece. He is an author of over 810 scientific and popular science articles, books, and textbooks which are distributed in 20 countries of Europe, Asia, and North America.

Assoc. Prof. Nikolay Simov and Dr Fedor Konstantinov used their popular science presentation “Evolutionary secrets of subfamily Phylinae — the bugs you won’t find in your bed” to showcase their discoveries from a study of one of the most diverse subfamilies of true bugs, Phylinae (Insecta, Hemiptera, Miridae). With over 3000 species, this subfamily has a remarkable diversity of appearance, biology, and relationships with different host plants. In addition to that, many phyletic lines of the subfamily have, independently from each other, developed ant mimicry, aposematic colouration, and globally repeated dispersal modes. This makes them an excellent model group for studying co-speciation between plants and animals, endemism, and historical biogeography. Our knowledge of these incredible insects is still limited and so scientists are trying to apply new methods for solving existing problems with phylogenetic reconstructions, such as generating and integrating philogenomic data for all main groups of the subfamily and using targeted capture and enrichment of ultraconserved elements (UCE). The presentation also discussed the emerging or expected challenges that science will face — starting from phylogenetic reconstructions, food specialisation, and host relationships to dispersal modes. Researchers expect this interdisciplinary approach to contribute to our wider understanding of biodiversity and evolution.

Assoc. Prof. Nikolay Simov is an entomologist and taxonomist, a researcher of the Heteroptera order — faunistics, zoogeography, and ecology of the order in Bulgaria and on the Balkan Peninsula.

Dr Fedor Konstantinov is an entomologist, a researcher of true bugs, and a participant in over 30 expeditions to collect scientific material from true bugs on all continents except Antarctica.

For future explorers of all ages, there was a research show by Yavor Denchev of DNK Science Edutainment. The entertaining, impressive, and educational scientific segments with spectacular fiery demonstrations, showstopping liquid nitrogen experiments, and many more intriguing trials revealed the magic of science to the audience.

Yavor Denchev is a Master of Microbiology (University of Victoria, Canada), teacher, and children’s entertainer with great experience in both Bulgaria and Canada. He is the creator and head of DNK Science Edutainment, which he uses to show that science is not a scary pile of dry formulae and boring pictures, but extremely exciting, interesting, and even fun. It is a way of thinking and opens doors to unknown worlds and skills to children.

This event in Facebook: https://fb.me/e/c9GxxTzcj.

Researchers’ Night is an initiative that traditionally includes over 300 cities in Europe and the world. Researchers at the National Museum of Natural History, Sofia believe that science must be accessible and inspirational to all, especially to young people, and encourages them towards opportunities for a career in the field of scientific research.