Biologists @ 100: Celebrating a century of supporting biologists and inspiring biology

The Company of Biologists celebrated their centenary at the Biologists @ 100 conference in Liverpool, UK. Held from March 24–27, this landmark event was more than just a celebration of history. It was an opportunity to reflect on a century of scientific progress, highlight the Company’s contributions to the scientific community, and address the challenges and opportunities ahead. With approximately 600 attendees, engaging roundtable discussion sessions, a diverse array of poster presentations, and thought-provoking talks, this conference opened my eyes to the incredible breadth of scientific discovery that isn’t always easily accessible. Although I could list 100 reasons (pun intended) why I thoroughly enjoyed this event, this is a short article, so I will highlight just a few:

Engaging science

The scope of scientific presentations at the Biologists @ 100 was wide and varied. Except for the plenary talks, there were four tracks to choose from: Cell and development biology, sensory perceptions in a changing world, interdisciplinary approaches to combating antimicrobial resistance, and experimental biology and impact. This usually meant that we were spoilt for choice over which session to attend. I ended up attending a few talks from every track, and I was not disappointed. Being a cell biologist and microscopist myself, I had no idea that I would find mammalian whiskers and the social lives of fishes this exciting.

The highlight of the scientific conference for me was Manu Prakash’s plenary talk. His insights into frugal science, particularly his invention of the Foldscope – an ingenious, simple, homemade microscope that looks like a hand-held ruler and costs $1– had the audience hooked. He recounted his team’s field trips to a variety of landscapes, where they went ‘foldscope-ing’ and discovered numerous obscure organisms. They then conducted cell biological and physiological studies on these specimens, illustrating both the versatility of the Foldscope and the remarkable discoveries it enables.

Environmental impact and action

I was pleasantly surprised to witness the future forward approach at this conference; it’s not very often that you see conferences dedicate time to climate action and biodiversity discussions. Hans-Otto Pörtner’s presentation on the urgent need of climate action left everyone in the audience anxious for the future and motivated towards action at the same time. He discussed the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and their efforts to understand and address climate change based on rigorous scientific evidence. Additionally, Jane Francis’ presentation included a striking depiction of a green Antarctica from 100 million years ago, which prompted me to reflect deeply on the broad and long-lasting effects of even the smallest of our actions.

Community

I’ve always appreciated The Company of Biologists’ efforts toward helping the community, whether it is grants for early-career fellows or a plethora of easily accessible resources. This conference was no different. It began with a roundtable discussion for early-career researchers, where participants joined groups based on their interests—such as postdoc track, journal editing, or science writing—each led by a professional. This meant that everyone had a chance to discuss the perks and challenges of their career, helping both in exploring future careers and managing current ones. There were also plenty of opportunities to interact with other early- and late-career researchers alike during the many breaks between sessions.

All in all, Biologists @ 100 was a one-of-a-kind conference. It brought together some of the brightest minds in biology from across the globe to share their collective excitement about biology. The diverse topics encouraged engaging discussions and promised new collaborations. It was truly a celebration of collaborative, multidisciplinary science, and the legacy of a century old institution.

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