By combining the latest advances made in two major fields of science (molecular biology and applied organic chemistry), we can make fascinating new inroads in healthcare and environmental protection.

Dzięki połączeniu zdobyczy wielkich dziedzin nauki - biologii molekularnej i chemii organicznej stosowanej - możemy podejmować wyzwania dotyczące ochrony zdrowia i zachowania środowiska naturalnego.

Philosophical concepts have always been closely related to the development of basic sciences. For example, great mathematical theories put forth at the turn of the century, and general theory of relativity were crucial for the advancement of physical sciences and at the same time had a great impact on the formation of a new science philosophy. They also initiated a new era of exploring the Universe, thus opening many issues in the fields of astrophysics and astronomy. In biology, the theory of evolution has greatly impacted the understanding of such fundamental issues as the origin of living species and the occurrence of the phenomenon of life on Earth. Another breakthrough in life sciences was a result of the progress in molecular biology which concerned sequencing genomes and modification of genetic resources of living organisms. These great achievements have led to formation of several new fields of life sciences such as: synthetic biology, systemic biology as well as personalized medicine.

The emergence of life on Earth and its almost infinite diversity, reflected by a myriad of living organisms, are among the dilemmas that have forever fascinated scientists and philosophers. Today, we are still not able to determine what exactly initiated the chain of events leading to the rise of life – the mechanism of replication of initial structures or perhaps the occurrence of first metabolic reactions. Further approximations of these issues shall probably constitute an overwhelming driving force for future development of life sciences.

François Chapeville (Franciszek Chrapkiewicz), an outstanding Polish biochemist, spent his entire adult life in France. After graduating in veterinary and biochemistry there, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Fritz Lipmann laboratory at Rockefeller University in New York. There, he conducted studies that proved that the genetic information encoded in DNA is deciphered in the process of protein biosynthesis via adapter tRNA molecules (adapter hypothesis). In the years 1979–1991 he was appointed director of Jacques Monod Institute of Molecular Biology at the University VII in Paris. He was a great promoter of Polish-French cooperation in the natural sciences. He passed away in Paris at the age of 96. He was buried in his hometown of Strzyżów in the Podkarpacie region.

Professor Leszek Kuźnicki, an outstanding protozoologist, the President of the Polish Academy of Sciences in the years 1993–1998, died in Warsaw on February 3, 2023 at the age of 94. Throughout his professional life, he was associated with the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology. Moreover, he chaired the Cytobiology Committee as well as the Evolutionary and Theoretical Biology Committee of Polish Academy of Sciences. He played a significant role in creating the modern scientific infrastructure in Poland. Throughout the years of his activity, he strongly advocated the idea of maintaining high standards of excellence in research work. He used to say that education should be available to everyone without exception, while scientific work is only intended for the most motivated and the best. It is with deep regret that we say goodbye to a man dedicated entirely to science and the Polish Academy of Sciences.