Axolotl

On Climate Change, the Sixth Extinction, and Other Ghosts | 12 PM

In this talk, Dr. Santiago Ramírez Barahona, from the Institute of Biology at UNAM, will address the effects of climate change and the complex webs of the planet’s various extinction events. Drawing on his research on evolution, Dr. Ramírez Barahona questions the narratives we construct about the current extinction, inviting us to consider what other stories we might imagine.

Santiago Ramírez Barahona is a biologist specializing in the study of ecological, geographical, and historical factors that shape biological diversity across different spatial and temporal scales. His research focuses on the evolution and ecology of plants, ranging from species’ responses to recent climate change to processes of diversification and extinction across geological timescales. He holds a degree in Biology from UNAM and a PhD in Sciences from UNAM’s Institute of Ecology. He is currently a senior researcher at the Institute of Biology at UNAM and a member of Mexico’s National System of Researchers (SNII), Level I.

Axolotls, Extinction, and Survival | 1 PM

In this dialogue between Dr. Eria Rebollar, from the Center for Genomic Sciences at UNAM, and writer Andrés Cota Hiriart, the biological and social history of axolotls will be revisited to understand how they transformed from deities within Mesoamerican worldviews into animals on the brink of extinction that are now widely present in laboratories around the world. This talk seeks to examine the ecological, social, and political challenges surrounding their survival.

Eria Rebollar is a microbial ecologist specializing in the study of symbiotic relationships between amphibians and their microbial communities from an ecological and evolutionary perspective. Her research focuses on the amphibian skin microbiome and its protective role against disease. She holds a degree in Biology from UNAM, a master’s degree in Biochemistry, and a PhD in Ecology. She completed postdoctoral research at James Madison University and the Smithsonian Institution. She is currently an associate researcher at the Center for Genomic Sciences at UNAM.

Andrés Cota Hiriart is a Mexican zoologist and writer dedicated to science communication. He studied Biology at UNAM and completed a master’s degree in Scientific Documentary at Imperial College London. He is the founder of the Society of Anonymous Scientists, host of the podcast Masaje Cerebral, as well as the program RUM on TV UNAM, and a literature professor at the Escuela Superior de Cine. His most recent books include Fieras interiores (Penguin Random House, 2025) and Sensacional de literNatura.

— Museo Jumex