NoosFest: From Apocalypse to Self-Destruction. A Festival of Science about the End of the World in Belgrade

NoosFest Returns to Belgrade: Discover Everything About the End of the World

On October 5 and 6, the NoosFest science festival will once again take place in the heart of Belgrade! This event is for anyone concerned about the future of our planet and humanity. We will discuss potential end-of-the-world scenarios, scientific predictions, and cultural traditions related to this theme.

What could bring about the end of the world? Astronomical threats, terrifying pandemics and diseases, technological apocalypse, biological confrontations, nuclear threats, ecosystem destruction, and even self-destruction of humanity. We will examine various theories and hypotheses in detail, analyzing scenarios that could lead to the demise of our planet.

The festival will bring together scientists, science popularizers, journalists, and bloggers who study space and our planet, explore flora and fauna, develop neurotechnologies, debunk pseudoscientific myths through critical thinking, and reflect on apocalyptic scenarios in literature and art.

Participants include Armen Zakharian, Alexander Panchin, Ivan Kvasov, Vladimir Raevsky, Maxim Talanov, Ilya Gomyranov, Dmitry Gorchakov, Viacheslav Avdeev and Artem Akshintsev.

For two full days, you will listen to lectures, participate in discussions, ask questions, and meet fellow science enthusiasts. We will talk about what will happen to us and the world around us. But don’t worry, it won’t be scary. So, come with your families, children, and friends!

Participants:

Ilya Gomyranov, zoologist, writer, keeper of animal secrets, and elephant figurine collector

Maxim Talanov, AI specialist, Consultant for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in the top 10% of Serbian scientists

Armen Zakharian, philologist, educator, and ambassador of the Supreme Salamander

Artem Akshintsev, academic ecologist who doesn’t teach you how to sort waste

Dmitry Gorchakov, engineer-physicist, nuclear blogger

Ivan Kvasov, biological guide and traveler, school teacher

Vladimir Raevsky, journalist, story and secret expert, chthonic researcher

Alexander Panchin, biologist, myth buster

Viacheslav Avdeev, astrophysicist and YouTuber, head of space.

Ticket categories:

*Ticket for the first day of lectures on October 5
*Ticket for the second day of lectures on October 6
*Ticket for both days of lectures on October 5-6

• Ticket to the StandUp show on October 4th

PROGRAM

October 4, Friday

Something Funny: The End of the World and Saving the Planet

Get ready for an evening you won't forget! Scientists and comedians will come together on the stage of Ben Akiba bar to discuss what the future holds for us.

The comedy show "The Committee," in collaboration with the stand-up label "Again These Guys," along with our incomparable scientists Alexander Panchin and Artyom Akshintsev, will tackle both real and fictional problems of humanity, ultimately saving the planet from the end of the world.

We'll talk about apocalyptic religious prophecies, biological threats, climate catastrophes, mass extinction, ecosystem destruction, the use of biological weapons, outbreaks of new pathogens, and much more.

Ben Akiba Bar, doors open at 7:00 PM, show starts at 7:30 PM

October 5, Saturday

Doors open at 10:00 AM

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Ilya Gomyranov: Without Bees, We Will All Die, But Maybe Not. Biodiversity and the End of the World.

What if the end of the world comes not from space or in the form of a zombie apocalypse but starts right here on Earth due to the loss of biodiversity? Biodiversity is not just beautiful nature around us. It’s a living network that connects all forms of life on the planet. Every species, every organism plays its role in maintaining this balance. But what happens if this network begins to unravel? Global climate catastrophes, ecosystem collapse, uncontrollable pandemics, and socio-economic crises are just some of the possible end-of-the-world scenarios linked to the loss of biodiversity. Is it really true that the disappearance of bees and sparrows could lead to a global catastrophe, and are we responsible for a new mass extinction of species?

Q&A session will follow the lecture.

12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Maxim Talanov: The Brain Under AI Control: Reality or Science Fiction?

How can AI and more control us through brain-computer interfaces? What does a human-tested implantable RFID chip mean? Can an implant be hacked? How many implants are needed for a normal life, and who needs them? And finally, why would AI enslave humanity through implants? We will look at how games, literature, and movies approach this question. Most importantly, we’ll explore how science and technology can control the nervous system now and how these technologies are developing.

Q&A session will follow the lecture.

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Ivan Kvasov: Self-Destruction as a Natural Outcome of Life’s Development.

In geobotany, there is a term - succession. This is the process of one plant community being replaced by another. Is this concept applicable to life as a whole? Can humans and modern life in general create something that destroys them? If so, what are these factors? Can self-destruction be prevented? Do we have hope?

Q&A session will follow the lecture.

5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Vladimir Raevsky: Albrecht Dürer in Ecstasy and Dread on the Eve of the Apocalypse.

In 1496, Albrecht Dürer began his "Apocalypse" series — a cycle of works about the end of the world. He was not yet thirty, and this work became a revelation for him — in every sense. On the eve of 1500, the whole world was preparing for the end, and this terrible premonition found its reflection in various works — from the seemingly funny mutant pig to the "Men's Bath". Journalist and TV presenter Vladimir Raevsky will trace with the audience what historical events were reflected in Dürer's mysterious engravings and will come to unexpected conclusions.

Q&A session will follow the lecture.

7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Anti-Science Debates on the End of the World.

This will be a humorous event where speakers will present various apocalypse scenarios based on popular myths and conspiracy theories within their scientific fields. The task of the other lecturers will be to debunk these theories by contrasting them with real scientific data. At the end, we will hold a vote to determine which end-of-the-world scenario participants found most convincing. Let’s see which myths and theories resonate the most!

The event will be hosted by Vadim Savitsky, the author of the 'Cognitive Oversight' project! He has taught in St. Petersburg at the Derzhavin Institute, delivered a course of lectures on cognitive science and decision-making technologies, and is a specialist in rhetoric and public communication.

After the event (from 10:00 PM) — Afterparty at a bar. We will gather scientists, popularizers, bloggers, and everyone else in one of Belgrade’s cool bars to continue chatting about science!

October 6, Sunday

Doors open at 10:00 AM

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Artem Akshintsev: Don’t Look Around. Environmental Disasters That Could Happen Again.

We will delve into the history of human impact on the environment and its consequences for ecosystems and civilizations. We will examine how human activities in the past led to catastrophic collapses of ecosystems and the destruction of entire civilizations. We will move to the present and explore the state of ecosystems in various parts of our planet. We will discuss how global pollution, deforestation, depletion of natural resources, and climate change threaten the stability of our planet. You will learn about the potential catastrophic consequences that could await us in the future if humanity does not learn to perceive the world as a single interconnected system. Why does a sustainable future depend on each of us, and how can we together protect our planet?

Q&A session will follow the lecture.

12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Viacheslav Avdeev: Five End-of-the-World Scenarios.

In 1998, the movie Armageddon by Michael Bay was released, where the brave Bruce Willis saved the planet from a massive space rock. Since then, asteroids have been considered one of the main space nightmares. However, there are things in space far more serious than asteroids, though dinosaurs might have argued with that. Astronomers know that there have been massive solar flares on the Sun in the past. They observe the aftermath of star and planet collisions in other systems. They witness numerous cosmic explosions, where supernovae are just like party poppers at a children's event. How much do these things threaten humanity? Today, we'll explore five cosmic end-of-the-world scenarios.

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Armen Zakharian: From the Flood to Salamanders: Choosing the Most Convincing End of the World in World Literature.

All happy endings are alike, but each unhappy ending is unhappy in its own way. World literature has never been shy about suggesting how exactly humanity is doomed. Everything was used: from torrential rains to ice engulfing the entire planet. In the lecture, we will choose the best from several evils – the most convincing literary end of the world.

Q&A session will follow the lecture.

5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Alexander Panchin: Epidemics and Bioweapons: Human Intervention and Natural Factors.

We will talk about viruses and epidemics of both natural and artificial origin. We will look at real cases of epidemics and virus leaks from biolabs, discuss the possibility of creating genetic weapons, and touch upon conspiracy theories and magical thinking related to the origins of various viruses.

Q&A session will follow the lecture.

7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Dmitry Gorchakov: Nuclear Technologies in the Era of Global Crises and Dictatorships — Path to Nuclear Apocalypse or Salvation from It?

Is it true that we are now closer to nuclear war than during the Cold War? How could it start and end? Can one survive a nuclear explosion? How dangerous is the seizure of the Zaporizhzhia NPP in Ukraine? Could nuclear disasters on the scale of Chernobyl and Fukushima happen again in the future? How dangerous is the radiation around us? To answer these questions, we will dive into the history of military and peaceful nuclear technologies and try to understand how to live next to them in the 21st century with its wars, dictatorships, and global crises.

Q&A session will follow the lecture.

All lectures and discussions will be held in Russian.