On April 21, a scientific seminar was held at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnologies of the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as part of the events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences and the Day of Science celebrated on March 27. Along with the staff of IMBB, the event was attended by the Director of the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology of ANAS, PhD in History Farhad Guliyev, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Najaf Museyibli, PhDs in History Bahlul Ibrahimli, Anar Agalarzadeh, and Muzaffar Huseynov, as well as employees of the Laboratory of Physical Anthropology. Opening the event with a welcoming speech, academician Irada Huseynova, Director General of IMBB, noted that March 27 is celebrated annually in Azerbaijan as the Day of Science. She emphasized that the 2025 celebration carries even greater significance, as it marks the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences. Founded in 1945, ANAS has played a crucial role in shaping the scientific potential of Azerbaijan and has created favorable conditions for conducting both fundamental and applied scientific research. At the seminar, Zarintaj Shatirova, a researcher at the Population Genomics Laboratory of IMBB, delivered a presentation on the topic “A Journey into the Genetic Past of Humans: Ancient DNA and the Initial Molecular Study of Anthropological Materials from Azerbaijan.” It should be noted that in 2024, Zarintaj Rustamova took part in a scientific training mission at the Department of Archaeogenetics of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. This institute is headed by Professor Svante Pääbo, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2022, and a formal memorandum of cooperation has been signed between the two institutions. In her presentation, the speaker discussed the applications of ancient DNA, the challenges faced during research, and presented the results of studies conducted on samples collected from various regions of Azerbaijan. Zarintaj Shatirova’s talk sparked great interest among seminar participants. The young researcher responded to questions from the audience, and a broad discussion took place around the topic. Those who spoke emphasized the importance of the research and discussed the prospects of conducting more comprehensive scientific studies in the future through collaborative efforts.
