Evolution conferences

The SICB annual meeting examines how organisms function and evolve by integrating morphology, development, physiology, behaviour and ecology. Symposia connect neural sensing to movement; test developmental and evolutionary responses to climate; investigate regeneration of bodies, brains and behaviour; and combine extinct and living organisms to reconstruct biological change. Further sessions examine dormancy, compliant structures, host–microbiome feedback, mutualisms, shark development, polyploidy, crustacean life cycles and animal aesthetics. Neuromechanics sessions compare how muscle–tendon properties, passive body mechanics, active sensing and neural circuits support stable, adaptable movement. Regeneration sessions combine single-cell and spatial omics, gene editing, live imaging, lineage tracing and comparative genomics to test whether recovery reuses developmental mechanisms. Dormancy sessions compare molecular and physiological pathways across diapause, torpor and hibernation. Contributed talks and posters extend these comparative approaches across biological scales. The Science and Society plenary examines the evolutionary biomechanics of terrestrial locomotion; the President’s plenary asks whether humans are unusually extravagant in their energy use. The programme begins on 3 January at 19:30 with the Science and Society plenary, followed by a 20:30 reception. Scientific sessions continue on 4–7 January; the final scheduled lecture ends at 16:30 on 7 January. All programme times are Eastern Standard Time (America/New_York, UTC−05:00). Presenters must register by 2 November 2026 to remain on the programme. Early registration prices apply through 2 December 2026. Full-meeting fees before/after that date are: professional members $572/$672; nonmember professionals $842/$942; postdoc members $367/$467; nonmember postdocs $486/$586; student members $227/$327; nonmember students $346/$446; and emeritus members $405/$505. Developing-country professional members pay $200/$300, nonmember professionals $275/$375, and student members $127/$227. Eligible AMS, MISS, SVP or TCS affiliates pay $572/$672. K–12/community-college educator members pay $243/$343 and nonmembers $335/$435. One-day rates before/after the same date are: professional/postdoc/emeritus members $230/$330; nonmember professionals/emeritus/educators $351/$451; educator members $150/$250; student members and developing-country members $135/$235; and nonmember students and developing-country nonmembers $200/$300. Fees are in US dollars. Registration requires an attendee profile; affiliate eligibility is checked. Refund requests must arrive by 2 December 2026 and incur a 20% administrative fee; partial-refund adjustments incur 3.5%.

The conference examines changing explanations of how species arise and persist. Topics include the repeatability and outcomes of hybridization, ecological and behavioural barriers to reproduction, genetic incompatibilities, structural variation and pangenomes. Comparative evidence will test how measured reproductive isolation corresponds to actual gene flow. A central methodological aim is to move from descriptive genomic patterns toward reliable inference of the evolutionary processes that generate species. Attendance requires a bachelor’s degree in science or engineering, or an accepted equivalent. Applications are subject to selection and available capacity.

The conference investigates how urbanization interacts with ecological and evolutionary processes. Its programme connects the history and social context of urban ecology with adaptation in city-dwelling organisms, the emergence of urban specialists and the interaction between climate change and built environments. Studies of plants, birds, lizards and insects, together with work on green infrastructure and human–nature relationships, will examine shared mechanisms and contrasting conditions across cities, including those in the Global South. Attendance applications are reviewed and capacity may fill before the application deadline.

This four-day scientific symposium celebrates Peer Bork’s research legacy and examines future directions in predictive biology. Invited presentations, selected short talks and posters connect protein biology, molecular evolution, systems biology, the human microbiome and planetary biology. The programme links earlier achievements with emerging research questions across these fields, bringing together an international community for scientific discussion and collaboration. The meeting is open to researchers across the disciplines represented in Bork’s work.

The congress brings palaeontologists together to examine fossil evidence for the history of life, changing environments and the development of biodiversity. Research presentations and interdisciplinary discussion connect Asian discoveries with broader evolutionary questions. Organized with Thailand’s Department of Mineral Resources, Geological Society and partner universities under the Asian Palaeontological Association, it welcomes established researchers, students and early-career scientists. Optional excursions investigate marine and terrestrial fossil records across Thailand.

This symposium compares mechanisms of drug resistance, tolerance and persistence in bacteria, fungi and cancer. It explores how genetic change, non-genetic cellular plasticity, biochemistry and metabolism combine to let cells survive treatment. Themes include evolution under drug pressure, genome plasticity, stress responses, cellular fitness and the ecological context of drug responses. Efflux, microenvironmental effects and other extracellular contributors are considered alongside cellular states and biochemical mechanisms. By comparing systems across species, the programme aims to deepen understanding of clonal evolution and single-cell biology and inform strategies for tackling drug resilience.

The conference brings together empirical and theoretical research applying evolutionary explanations to behaviour. It spans behavioural ecology, comparative and developmental psychology, ethology, anthropology, cultural evolution and archaeology, with contributions from other relevant social and biological sciences. The programme encourages interdisciplinary work on the relationships among biology, social environments, culture and human behaviour.

Investigate how the human capacity to understand and create complex sequences in language, memory, music, dance and narrative relates to behavioural sequencing in other animals. The meeting uses ecological demands on animal behaviour to explore the evolution of these abilities and fundamental questions in comparative cognitive science. This Theo Murphy meeting is intended for researchers in relevant fields and takes place in person. Attendance is free but requires an invitation: applicants state their expertise and reasons for attending, and organisers review requests on a rolling basis. Catering and accommodation are separate. Registered participants are invited to submit posters; submissions within one month of the event may miss the programme booklet.

Examine the organisation of neuropeptide signalling within the nervous system and between the brain and body. Recent work across diverse species will connect the structure and evolution of these signalling networks to behaviour and disease, addressing how a complex neuropeptide language contributes to brain function. The meeting is intended for researchers in relevant fields, with free virtual and in-person attendance and advance registration required. Optional lunch costs £25 per day. Poster abstracts of up to 200 words are due on 2027-03-12; the session takes place on the first day.

The twenty-third BioMalPar conference connects malaria parasite biology with human-host responses, mosquito vectors and the environmental and public-health conditions that shape transmission. Scientific sessions examine parasite development within hosts, immune evasion and host-pathogen interactions, epidemiology, drug resistance and evolutionary change. Vector biology and mosquito-parasite dynamics are considered alongside systems biology, omics and emerging experimental technologies. The meeting provides a cross-disciplinary setting for researchers at different career stages to relate molecular discoveries to the continuing challenges of malaria control.

The meeting studies animal movement from individual cognition and decision-making through social coordination, populations and evolutionary change. It examines responses to extreme conditions, the effects of movement on species interactions and disease, and connections with conservation, land use and infrastructure. New tracking technologies, multiple sensor streams, onboard processing, near-real-time observations and AI-based analyses will be discussed as ways to connect mechanisms with environmental change. Animals are considered both study subjects and indicators of changing habitats. Attendance applications are reviewed and capacity may fill before the application deadline.

The conference investigates how molecular changes connect genetic variation with evolving traits. Research spans biophysical and biochemical mechanisms, cells, development, physiology and behaviour. Talks examine the origins of mutations and the ways they alter phenotypes within populations and across evolutionary timescales, aiming to explain both conserved features and biological diversity. Attendance requires a bachelor’s degree in science or engineering, or an accepted equivalent. Applications are subject to selection and available capacity.

This conference examines the origins, distribution and consequences of mutations across cells, tissues, organisms and populations. Improved sequencing accuracy, experimental perturbations, multi-omic measurements and computational analysis are brought together to study genetic heterogeneity and its effects on genome function, evolution and disease. Sessions address mechanisms of mutagenesis, technologies for detecting and interpreting mutations, variation across the tree of life, tissue-level diversity, and evolutionary dynamics in cancer and other diseases. Researchers from genomics, mutagenesis, evolution, developmental and functional biology can compare methods and questions across scales that are often studied separately.

Researchers will examine how associations between animals and microorganisms transform their partners and environments. The programme connects molecular signalling and cellular mechanisms to physiology, population dynamics, communities and ecosystems. Comparisons between tractable models and natural systems integrate mechanistic, ecological and evolutionary approaches, with implications for conservation, agriculture and human health. Talks, poster sessions and discussion focus on emerging and unpublished research. Applicants need a science or engineering bachelor’s degree or equivalent; undergraduates are not eligible. Places may fill before the application deadline.

This EMBO | EMBL Symposium examines how the molecular systems of modern cells originated and diversified. It connects chemistry, biochemistry, evolutionary biology and computational research through genomics, AI-assisted protein analysis, structural biology and ancestral sequence reconstruction. Themes include early metabolism, changes in protein structure and function, metabolic networks, evolutionary cell biology, the emergence of molecular complexity, and experimental reconstruction of ancestral proteins. Researchers at all career stages can attend in Heidelberg or virtually. Abstracts are due 9 March 2027; on-site registration closes 18 May and virtual registration closes 22 June 2027.

Organized by the Sociedade Brasileira de Micologia, the congress connects fungal diversity, ecology, evolution and conservation with cellular biology, genetics, biotechnology and omics. Research also addresses agricultural, medical, veterinary, industrial, environmental and food-related mycology, together with teaching and science communication. Lectures, round tables and contributed research bring together researchers, students, professionals and industry. Abstract submission requires paid registration; the congress uses an online system for original research contributions.

This conference examines how mutations originate and affect fitness, populations and biodiversity. Empirical studies and theory will address mutation spectra, genetic load, repeated evolution, local adaptation, hybridization and the genomic context of new variants. Work across plants, animals and microbes connects molecular changes with population history and environmental conditions. The programme also considers structural variants, ancestral recombination graphs and methods for inferring evolutionary processes. Attendance requires a bachelor’s degree in science or engineering, or an accepted equivalent. Applications are subject to selection and available capacity.

The meeting examines the neural mechanisms that produce behaviour in natural settings and how those mechanisms evolved. It connects comparative neuroscience with behavioural ecology through molecular specialization, electrophysiology, synaptic and modulatory mechanisms, neural population dynamics and causal circuit experiments. Participants will assess how new methods for tracking behaviour and recording freely moving animals can strengthen mechanistic explanations across species and guide future collaborative research. Attendance requires a bachelor’s degree in science or engineering, or an accepted equivalent. Applications are subject to selection and available capacity.

The congress brings together fungal biology, ecology, evolution, molecular genetics, genomics, systematics and biotechnology with plant pathology and medical mycology. Plenary lectures, thematic symposia, workshops and posters connect fundamental research with applications and provide professional-development opportunities for early-career scientists. The Korean Society of Mycology organizes the congress in collaboration with the International Mycological Association, convening the international fungal-research community in Songdo.