The Darwin Day

Darwin Day is a celebration to commemorate the anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin on 12 February 1809. The day is used to highlight Darwin’s contributions to science and to promote science in general. Darwin Day is celebrated around the world.
— Wikipedia (access: 26-03-2018)
  • Date: 14 February 2022 (Monday), 17:30-18:30.

    Speaker: dr Mateusz Konczal (Wydział Biologii UAM)

    Title: Czy czeka nas życie w planetarnym szpitalu? – perspektywa ewolucyjna

    Platform: YouTube

    Organizers: Katarzyna A. Kaszycka (Faculty of Biology, UAM, PTNCE) and Jacek Radwan (Faculty of Biology).

  • Speaker: Rafał Mostowy (Małopolskie Centrum Biotechnologii UJ).

    Title: Jak biologia ewolucyjna pomaga nam walczyć z zarazkami.

    Date: 12 February 2021, 17:30.

    Place: YouTube

    Organizers: Katarzyna A. Kaszycka (Faculty of Biology, UAM, PTNCE) and Jacek Radwan (Faculty of Biology).

  • Organisers: Faculty of Biology (AMU) and Polish Society for Human and Evolution Studies.

    Date: 12 February 2019, 15:30-17:00.

    Place: Aula Wydziału Biologii UAM, ul. Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6 (Collegium Biologicum), Poznań.

    Programme:

    15:30-16:15 Skamieniałymi śladami człowieka - prof. UAM, dr hab. Katarzyna A. Kaszycka

    16:15-17:00 O pochodzeniu człowieka: historia zapisana w genach - prof. dr hab. Wiesław Babik

  • POZNAŃ

    Organisers: Faculty of Biology (AMU) and Polish Society for Human and Evolution Studies.

    Media patronage: To Tylko Teoria.

    Date: 12 February 2019, 16:30-18:15.

    Place: Aula Wydziału Biologii UAM, ul. Umultowska 89, Poznań.

    Programme:

    16:30-16:40 Opening - Prof. Katarzyna A. Kaszycka

    16:40-16:50 Darwin o wierze, Kościół o Darwinie - Prof. Jacek Radwan

    16:50-17:00 Czy tekst Rdz 2,7 wyklucza ewolucję? - Rev. Prof. Janusz Nawrot

    17:00-17:10 Zmagania ludzi Kościoła z ewolucją - Prof. Tomasz Polak

    17:10-17:20 Ewolucja umysłu religijnego - Prof. Maciej Błaszak

    17:20-18:10 Panel discussion: Ewolucja i wiara, M. Błaszak, J. Kozłowski, J. Nawrot, T. Polak, J. Radwan

    WROCŁAW

    Organisers: Institute of Psychology at the University of Wrocław and Polish Society for Human and Evolution Studies.

    Media patronage: To Tylko Teoria.

    Date: 11-13 February 2019, 18:00.

    Place: Aula Instytutu Psychologii UWr, ul. Dawida 1, Wrocław.

    Programme:

    February 11, 18:00 Ewolucja romantycznej miłości - Ph.D. Piotr Sorokowski

    February 12, 18:00 Ewolucyjne meandry ludzkiej natury - Prof. Bogusław Pawłowski

    February 13, 18:00 Wskrzeszanie mamutów, dinozaurów i neandertalczyków. O antycznym DNA - Ph.D. Martyna Molak-Tomsia

    After each lecture there was a session of questions from the audience.

    In addition, students of psychology and biology conducted workshops on the basics of biology and the biological foundations of psychology. Over 500 pupils from 9 primary schools in Wrocław took part in the workshops and learnt how natural selection works, where emotions come from and how the brain is built.

  • POZNAŃ

    Organisers: Polish Society for Human and Evolution Studies, Adam Mickiewicz University and Poznań Society of Friends of Sciences (PTPN).

    Date: 12 February 2018, 16:30-19:15.

    Place: Sala Posiedzeń in the seat of PTPN, ul. Mielżyńskiego 27/29, Poznań.

    Programme:

    16:30-16:45 The opening - dr hab. Jacek Wiewiorowski

    16:45-17:15 Evolution around us - prof. Jacek Radwan

    17:20-17:50 Evolutionary "earthquakes" – paleoanthropological discoveries of the 21st century - prof. Katarzyna A. Kaszycka

    17:55-18:25 Evolution of human breasts – review of concepts - dr hab. Krzysztof Kościński

    18:30-19:15

    – exhibition of prints, showing various editions of Karol Darwin's works from the collections of the PTPN Library,

    – exhibition of skull casts of human ancestors from the collection of the Institute of Anthropology (AMU) and private collection of a lecturer (KAK),

    – slide show: chimpanzees from the "chimpanzee island", Pongo-Songo (Cameroon) – photo: Bartosz Bielicki.

    TORUŃ

    Darwin Day was organized by the Student Scientific Club Evo-Lingua, whose tutor is Katarzyna Rogalska-Chodecka, a member of PTNCE. As part of the celebrations, students prepared a lecture and linguistic experiment.

    WROCŁAW

    Polish Rationalist Association and University of Wroclaw organised V Wroclaw Darwin Day on February 17 and 18. Three PTNCE members presented their speeches (in Polish):

    – prof. Andrzej Elżanowski: Darwin's ethics

    – dr Wioletta Nowaczewska: On human evolution – when and where did we stand, and were we alone?

    – dr Łukasz Budzicz: Sexual (r)evolution in the Internet age? A look from the perspective of evolutionary psychology

  • Polish Rationalist Association and University of Wroclaw on 18 and 19 February organized IV Wrocław Darwin Days. Two PTNCE members presented speeches (in Polish) at the festival:

    – prof. Bogusław Pawłowski: Evolutionary aspects of competition for status

    – dr Łukasz Budzicz: Evolutionary guide to cultural phenomena

  • POZNAŃ

    Organisers: Polish Society for Human and Evolution Studies, Adam Mickiewicz University and Poznań Society of Friends of Sciences (PTPN).

    Date: 13 February 2016, 13:00-16:30.

    Place: Sala Posiedzeń in the seat of PTPN, ul. Mielżyńskiego 27/29, Poznań.

    Programme:

    13:00-13:10 The opening - dr hab. Jacek Wiewiorowski

    13:10-13:30 Karol Libelt and reception of Darwinian thought in Poznań in the 19th century - mgr Jakub Linetty

    13:40-14:10 On the origin of man. How to understand the claim that "man comes from monkey" - prof. Katarzyna A. Kaszycka

    14:10-14:40

    – presentation of prints from the collections of the PTPN Library, showing discussions on the Darwin theory in Poznan at the end of the 19th century,

    – exhibition of skull casts of human ancestors from the collection of the Institute of Anthropology (AMU) and private collection of a lecturer (KAK),

    – vernissage of a Poznań artist, Diana Lelonek, who uses evolutionary themes in her works.

    14:40-15:10 Perception of physical attractiveness as an evolutionary adaptation - dr hab. Krzysztof Kościński

    15:20-15:50 Origin of the aesthetic sense. What do modern neuroesthetic concepts of art owe to Darwin? - dr hab. Piotr Przybysz

    16:00-16:30 Causes of intra-family murders of children in the light of evolutionary psychology - dr hab. Justyn Piskorski

    Darwin Day 2016

    In 2016, the Polish Society for Human and Evolution Studies (PTNCE) organised the celebration of the Darwin Day in Poznań (February 12), Toruń (February 11 and 12) and Wrocław (February 18).

    POZNAŃ

    Organisers: Polish Society for Human and Evolution Studies, Adam Mickiewicz University and Poznań Society of Friends of Sciences (PTPN).

    Date: 13 February 2016, 13:00-16:30.

    Place: Sala Posiedzeń in the seat of PTPN, ul. Mielżyńskiego 27/29, Poznań.

    Programme:

    13:00-13:10 The opening

    dr hab. Jacek Wiewiorowski

    13:10-13:30 Karol Libelt and reception of Darwinian thought in Poznań in the 19th century

    mgr Jakub Linetty

    13:40-14:10 On the origin of man. How to understand the claim that "man comes from monkey"

    prof. Katarzyna A. Kaszycka

    14:10-14:40

    – presentation of prints from the collections of the PTPN Library, showing discussions on the Darwin theory in Poznan at the end of the 19th century,

    – exhibition of skull casts of human ancestors from the collection of the Institute of Anthropology (AMU) and private collection of a lecturer (KAK),

    – vernissage of a Poznań artist, Diana Lelonek, who uses evolutionary themes in her works.

    14:40-15:10 Perception of physical attractiveness as an evolutionary adaptation

    dr hab. Krzysztof Kościński

    15:20-15:50 Origin of the aesthetic sense. What do modern neuroesthetic concepts of art owe to Darwin?

    dr hab. Piotr Przybysz

    16:00-16:30 Causes of intra-family murders of children in the light of evolutionary psychology

    dr hab. Justyn Piskorski

    TORUŃ

    Organisers: Polish Society for Human and Evolution Studies, Department of English (Nicolaus Copernicus University), Center for Language Evolution Studies (Nicolaus Copernicus University).

    Date: 11-12 February 2016.

    Place: Collegium Humanisticum Nicolaus Copernicus University, ul. Bojarskiego 1, the main campus Nicolaus Copernicus University.

    The organizers conducted two 90-minute experiments illustrating the evolution of the language.

    Experiment 1 took place on February 11 at 12:00 and aimed to answer the question of whether cavemen could communicate with aliens.

    Experiment 2 took place on February 12 at 12:15 and concerned the possibility of communicating with Mieszko I.

    Participants of the experiments learned the names of fruits in a new, fictional language, and at the same time they noticed the rules of the language, for example the relationship between the colors and shapes of fruits and syllables in their names. The language mastered by one group of participants (along with errors) was passed on to the next group as a model for learning. As the learning process passed from group to group, the language was changing, or evolving.

    Darwin Day 2016

    In 2016, the Polish Society for Human and Evolution Studies (PTNCE) organised the celebration of the Darwin Day in Poznań (February 12), Toruń (February 11 and 12) and Wrocław (February 18).

    POZNAŃ

    Organisers: Polish Society for Human and Evolution Studies, Adam Mickiewicz University and Poznań Society of Friends of Sciences (PTPN).

    Date: 13 February 2016, 13:00-16:30.

    Place: Sala Posiedzeń in the seat of PTPN, ul. Mielżyńskiego 27/29, Poznań.

    Programme:

    13:00-13:10 The opening

    dr hab. Jacek Wiewiorowski

    13:10-13:30 Karol Libelt and reception of Darwinian thought in Poznań in the 19th century

    mgr Jakub Linetty

    13:40-14:10 On the origin of man. How to understand the claim that "man comes from monkey"

    prof. Katarzyna A. Kaszycka

    14:10-14:40

    – presentation of prints from the collections of the PTPN Library, showing discussions on the Darwin theory in Poznan at the end of the 19th century,

    – exhibition of skull casts of human ancestors from the collection of the Institute of Anthropology (AMU) and private collection of a lecturer (KAK),

    – vernissage of a Poznań artist, Diana Lelonek, who uses evolutionary themes in her works.

    14:40-15:10 Perception of physical attractiveness as an evolutionary adaptation

    dr hab. Krzysztof Kościński

    15:20-15:50 Origin of the aesthetic sense. What do modern neuroesthetic concepts of art owe to Darwin?

    dr hab. Piotr Przybysz

    16:00-16:30 Causes of intra-family murders of children in the light of evolutionary psychology

    dr hab. Justyn Piskorski

    TORUŃ

    Organisers: Polish Society for Human and Evolution Studies, Department of English (Nicolaus Copernicus University), Center for Language Evolution Studies (Nicolaus Copernicus University).

    Date: 11-12 February 2016.

    Place: Collegium Humanisticum Nicolaus Copernicus University, ul. Bojarskiego 1, the main campus Nicolaus Copernicus University.

    The organizers conducted two 90-minute experiments illustrating the evolution of the language.

    Experiment 1 took place on February 11 at 12:00 and aimed to answer the question of whether cavemen could communicate with aliens.

    Experiment 2 took place on February 12 at 12:15 and concerned the possibility of communicating with Mieszko I.

    Participants of the experiments learned the names of fruits in a new, fictional language, and at the same time they noticed the rules of the language, for example the relationship between the colors and shapes of fruits and syllables in their names. The language mastered by one group of participants (along with errors) was passed on to the next group as a model for learning. As the learning process passed from group to group, the language was changing, or evolving.

    More information on the Nicolaus Copernicus University website

    Reportage in TV Toruń

    (Source material, time: 14:34-17:03)

    WROCŁAW

    Organisers: Polish Society for Human and Evolution Studies and University of Wroclaw.

    Date: 18 February 2016, 16:00-19:00.

    Place: hall of the name of J. Czekanowskiego in Department of Human Biology (University of Wroclaw), ul. Kuźnicza 35, Wrocław.

    Programme:

    16:00-17:00 Evolutionary psychology – the key to the human mind - prof. Bogusław Pawłowski

    17:00-18:00 Puzzles of our evolution – the origin of Neanderthals in the light of the latest research - dr Wioletta Nowaczewska

    18:00-19:00 Why do women possess breasts? - dr Agnieszka Żelaźniewicz