The 2026 Archaea national symposium, organised by the SFBBM's GT-Archées working group, aims to bring together the entire French scientific community to exchange ideas and discuss key topics relating to the importance and place of Archaea, the third domain of life. This symposium will address unifying themes relating to biodiversity, the importance and place of Archaea, the third domain of life, in ecosystems, evolution and the fundamental processes of life. Undoubtedly, the study of Archaea has become essential for understanding the living world, the evolutionary history of eukaryotes, interactions in microbiota and exobiology. In the context of an ecological crisis and biodiversity collapse, it is essential to recognise the importance of Archaea in the biosphere. The national Archaea 2026 symposium will provide a valuable opportunity for the entire French scientific community to convene for two half-days to discuss current scientific issues, including the work carried out at the MNHN.

Archaea have been thoroughly studied by researchers in various fields, including biochemistry, microbiology, evolution, and molecular biology. They are highly sought after by industry due to their importance in understanding life on Earth.

• Place of archaea in evolution
• Role of Archaea in soil and ocean microbial communities and in human microbiota
• Molecular mechanisms responsible for the extraordinary adaptive capacities of archaea
• How to harness the biodiversity and unique properties of Archaea to discover new molecules for biotechnology
• Understand the fundamental cellular mechanisms based on Archean models 

• Tamara Basta-Le Berre (I2BC- Gif sur Yvette)
• Béatrice Clouet-d’Orval (MCD-CBI-Toulouse)
• Didier Flament  (Ifremer, Brest)
• Roxane Lestini (Polytechnique, Palaiseau)
• Hannu Myllykallio (Polytechnique, Palaiseau)
• Emmanuelle Schmitt (Polytechnique, Palaiseau)