The ecological status of the city of Moscow was assessed using two test kits, namely, a display based on luminescent bacteria and a lichen photobiont indicator. The toxicity of tree bark in lichen ecotops was estimated by a biotest method. Changes in the cell diameters of lichen photobionts were evaluated. Evidence has been obtained of a permanent detrimental effect of chronic contamination on the specific community of the lichen test system used and possible recent contamination by the use of our bacterial luminescence test system.

The role of scientific mentorship is analyzed using the example of the relationship between outstanding Russian scientists N.V. Timofeyev-Ressovsky (1900–1981) and A.N. Tyuryukanov (1931–2001). The relationship between these remarkable individuals, though very different in origin, character, and habits, quickly evolved from teacher–student into genuine friendship and scientific collaboration. Two decades of fruitful interaction between them lent impetus to the development of new scientific fields, namely, radiation biogeocenology, biospheric studies (biospherology), and fundamental soil science. Their dedication to science and their attitude toward young people enabled future generations of scientists to grow and develop within the Russian school of natural science.

May of 2026 marks the 150th anniversary of the outstanding biologist and geo­grapher, theorist and historian of science, Academician, Moscow University graduate Leo S. Berg (1876–1950), who became famous during his life as the greatest ichthyologist in our country. He published numerous papers with descriptions of single fish species, as well as general monographs on the ichthyofauna of our country and its regions. He also focused on fishing, domestic aquaculture and zoogeographical zoning by ichthyofauna. The article discusses L.S. Berg’s research on palaeontology, which began during his expeditions to the Aral Sea in 1899–1906. He studied the Meso-Cenozoic deposits of the Aral coastline and their fossil fauna. Since the 1930s, Leo Berg continued his palaeoichthyological research, studying in detail the Late Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic actinopterygian and other fishes. He described a number of fossil taxa of ichthyofauna and critically revised the system of fossil agnathans and fishes. The article provides brief biographical information of L.S. Berg, one of the classics of world ichthyology in the 20th century.

The life and work of Professor Igor L. Vasilyev (1940–2019) is an illustrative example of the versatility of a? university geologist. As a native of Tambov City and a graduate from the renowned Saratov Higher Geological School during its peak (1950s–1960s), Professor Vasilyev spent the majority of his life working in Transbaikalia (Buryatia), researching Paleozoic and Proterozoic deposits in areas of hydrothermal ore genesis. Here, he put forward an original interdisciplinary concept of coevolution of synchronously developing volcanic systems and reef structures in the coastal zone of a marine basin with an output to ore formation. He worked as a researcher, a practical geologist, a teacher, and an organizer of the scientific and educational process. In the 1990s, after returning to his native Tambov City, Professor I.L. Vasilyev taught the course of engineering geology at The Technical University and actively engaged in museum work, organizing field trips and creating a set of educational collections, followed by the initial museum exhibition in the format of a geological cabinet. Currently, the museum cluster he established is being developed within the scientific and educational center “Coevolution of Geospheres Museum” of Tambov State Technical University.

The article is devoted to the history of V.I. Zubov’s Museum of Geology and Minero­logy, the prerequisites for its foundation, and the main stages of its creation, development, and collection formation. The article analyzes the museum’s exhibition policy and research activities, trends in museum science, the structure of the collections reflecting regional geological features, current issues and prospects for updating exhibition spaces, digitalization of the collections, and integration of museum experience into educational programs.

The article examines the collaboration between the Earth Science Museum and professors from the Faculty of Biology and the Faculty of Soil Science at Lomonosov Moscow State University (Faculty of Biology and Soil Science until 1973) from the museum’s founding to the present day. In the early 1950s, university professors collaborated with the museum staff to create biology-themed exhibits at the Museum. In particular, they helped preparing the exhibits on the 26th floor (Marine Hall) and the 25th floor (Natural Zonation). A brief overview of the current course offerings in biological disciplines at the Earth Science Museum is presented, including courses for students from the Faculty of Biology, the Faculty of Geology, and the Faculty of Philology at Moscow State University. The disciplines covered include “Ecology”, “Marine Communities and Ecosystems”, “Ecology with Fundamentals of Biogeography”, and “Modern Natural Sciences”. The museum’s exhibition serves as a unique educational environment for such classes, particularly when incorporating modern pedagogical approaches such as the flipped classroom model. The article presents the collaborative work of the Museum’s staff and students from the Faculty of Biology within the framework of the MSU’s Development Program “Development of the Foundations for the Establishing, Operating, and Advancing a Comprehensive University-based Scientific and Educational Youth Museum Using the Example of Lomonosov Moscow State University.” It also highlights the creation of a unique interdisciplinary open-air exhibition at the MSU Botanical Garden on Leninskie gory named “From the Arctic to Moscow: The Path of Glaciers”.

Our previous publication in “Life on the Earth” [7] was concerned with neuroactive substances in the capacity of new-generation pollutants exemplified by neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine and biogenic amines. At low concentrations, these substances exert a growth-promoting effect on microalgae. The present work deals with the mode of action of extremely low concentrations (“trace amounts”) of neurotransmitters that comprises their antioxidant effects and the influence on the dynamics and rhythms of microalgal cultures’ development, i.e. on the succession of their age-related stages. Such neurotransmitters that can enter natural ecosystems with the wastewater of food, drug, and cosmetic industry, can be grouped into (1) substances that increase the unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) content in microalgal membranes, elevate the photosynthetic pigment concentration in the cells, and prolong the “youth” of microalgal cultures; and (2) substances that decrease the UFA content, reduce the photosynthetic pigment concentration, and, accordingly, accelerate the “aging” of microalgal cultures.

The article examines the applicability and functioning of artificial soils, whose creation is based both on research into modeling moisture and salt transfer in soils and on the development of nature-like biogeochemical technologies for recreating natural biogeochemical cyclicity. Two main technological approaches for constructing artificial soils are demonstrated, namely: modeling soil processes and applying the modeling results to technologies for creating functional horizons of artificial soils. It is noted that artificial soils are essentially biophysical models, our consideration of which allows for the design of such soils for a wide variety of functional uses.

A comprehensive study of the territory using a number of methods has allowed us to build a geodynamic and geokinematic models of the northwestern part of the East European Platform. Their interpretation allows us to assess the geodynamic environment of the Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant, as well as the overall geokinematic environment of the studied territory.

At the end of the 1960s a movement began for the preservation of Earth's biosphere — the common home for humanity and the receptacle of all life on Earth. This movement united the scientific communities of various countries for many years. 20 years later, at the International Symposium “Biosphere and Humanity. History and Modernity” the development and promotion of the ideas of Academician V.I. Vernadsky, the founder of the Earth’s Biosphere doctrine, were summed up.

This article is about the world’s only cabinet-museum of the great world scientist Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky. The museum celebrates its sixtieth anniversary in 2023, the year of the 160th anniversary of the scientist. The museum contains items which accompanied V.I. Vernadsky and his wife Natalia Egorovna (nee Staritskaya) from the moment of their wedding to his last days. There are many photos and portraits of relatives and friends of the Vernadsky family on the walls. Vernadsky’s library had about 7,000 books, some of which are now in the museum. The museum has many books by V.I. Vernadsky himself, published during his lifetime and in recent years. The sphere of interests of the great scientist was huge. The exposition and the library of the museum tell in detail about the creative path of the scientist. Having started as a mineralogist, V.I. Vernadsky created physical (energetical) crystallography, genetic mineralogy. He is the creator of radiogeology. His studies of living matter, comparison of its properties and composition with those of mineral matter allowed the scientist to create a new science –biogeochemistry. In his scientific activity, V.I. Vernadsky paid much attention to the development of his doctrine of the biosphere, the transition of the biosphere into the noösphere. Vernadsky was a significant public and political figure of pre-revolutionary Russia. One can learn about all this from the museum’s exposition and from the story of the curator of the museum.

The paper provides a review of the existing common education in Russia in the context of V.I. Vernadsky’s ideas of the noösphere. An analysis was made of the compliance of the content of educational standards and exemplary educational programs for the common education school with V.I. Vernadsky’s main ideas of the noösphere.

The paper considers the use of two pedagogical approaches, person-centered and systemic-structural, in the development and implementation of two thematic museum classes dedicated to V.I. Vernadsky’s life and scientific activities. These classes, namely, “From the soil to the biosphere” and “V.I. Vernadsky’s life and scientific activity”, were developed at the Earth Science Museum of the Lomonosov Moscow State University and aimed at in-depth acquaintance of schoolchildren with the teaching about the biosphere. The paper presents methodological materials for the classes: a description of the stages of the lessons and tasks for independent work (a crossword and a quest). Our analysis of the second lesson’s approbation showed that the schoolchildren were unanimous in their opinion: the organization of an independent search for answers to the posed questions and the leading role of the museum teacher allowed them to better accepting complex concepts and understanding the relationship of various scientific directions.

The paper is devoted to the outstanding Russian scientist Vladimir I. Vernadsky, who is one of the founders of ecology. As a student of V.V. Dokuchaev, he developed his teacher’s ideas of a systematic dynamic approach to the study of nature and introduced a deep scientific ecological content into the concepts of the biosphere and the noösphere. V.I. Vernadsky is the founder of a complex of modern Earth sciences (geochemistry, biogeochemistry, radiology, and hydrogeology) and the creator of many scientific schools. In his scientific work, he covered many research areas, from geology to the study of the role of living matter in geochemical cycles, from soil science to the biosphere, the increasing influence of scientific thought, human activity in the biosphere and its transformation into the noösphere. The importance of agriculture in the biosphere and the noösphere is considered. The biosphere is an area of active life on Earth (troposphere, hydrosphere and part of the lithosphere), the composition, structure and energy of which are mainly due to the activity of living organisms. The noösphere is its thinking shell. Agriculture, whose most important part are grassland ecosystems, is an important component of the biosphere, being a reproducible, autotrophic sustainable resource (energetical, environmental, food and feed). In light of the pressing environmental problems facing the world, environmental education and environmental thinking are a priority for the development of the biosphere, the noösphere and agriculture.

At present, it is possible to identify a number of new directions for the development of biogeochemical research, at the junction of fundamental and applied studies. A novel field of research is being formed, namely, engineering biogeochemistry, within the framework of which innovative biogeochemical technologies and technological processes based on modeling and management of ecosystematic biogeochemical cycles are being developed. The application of these innovative technologies for the restoration of disturbed and polluted impact ecosystems, in particular, polar ecosystems in the zones of operation of gas-producing enterprises, is considered. Technological examples of calculations of geoecological risks, as well as microbial contamination risks are given. A pool of the developed biogeochemical technologies and their connection with other innovative technologies within the framework of gas-producing companies is shown.

Based on V.I. Vernadsky’s teaching of the biosphere and modern scientific data, an attempt was made to analyze the mechanisms of the dynamics of modern global processes using the example of climate changes. Possible causes of the warming, both natural and anthropogenic, observed in the last century are considered. It is shown that it is the increase in temperature that causes the increase in the concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere, and not vice versa, as follows from the greenhouse effect hypothesis. This seems to be the main cause for the low effectiveness of any international efforts to stabilize the climate. The course of natural processes, as well as the evolution of the biosphere as a whole, has an unstable, cyclical nature, running according to its own laws. Particular attention is paid to V.I. Vernadsky’s doctrine of the biosphere, his views on the role of reason and scientific research in solving problems inevitably arisen in the course of evolution on Earth, caused by the rapidly developing, from a historical standpoint, humanity. Scientific research is a reliable defender of both the interests of mankind and the biosphere as a whole. This was V.I. Vernadsky’s basis of his positive outlook on the future of our civilization and the biosphere.

Having started his biogeochemical studies in 1916, V.I. Vernadsky revealed that the generally accepted opinion about the origin of life from inert matter had no scientific sources. But all data of biology and paleontology indicate that all life comes from life (Francesco Redi’s principle). Vernadsky found convincing evidence of biogenesis in the state of biological space–time, which allowed him to describe the biosphere as a planetary shell, actually forming other geospheres. Vernadsky’s concept of the planetary role of living matter is currently gaining overriding and fundamental importance for all Earth sciences.

The article demonstrates the important role of animalistic painting in environmental education and enlightenment in natural science museums, in particular, the Scientific and Educational Earth Science Museum at Moscow State University. Particular attention is paid to those artists whose works in the animalistic genre are presented in the museums which they collaborated with (N.V. Pinegin, V.A. Vatagin, K.K. Flerov, A.N. Komarov, V.A. Gorbatov, D.Ya. Cherkes, M.A. Birshtein, L.I. Naroditsky, I.A. Popov, M.I. Sidorov, S.P. Rychagov, V.A. Arlashin, D.N. Domogatsky, A.N. Bazel'tsev). The article identifies paintings in the animalistic genre exhibited in the “Natural Zonality” section of the Earth Science Museum at Moscow State University, provides scientific and artistic descriptions, and demonstrates the relationship with natural exhibits. Based on this analysis, proposals for modernizing the exhibition were formulated.

The constantly extending list of humankind-produced environmentally toxic compounds currently includes pharmacological preparations. Among them, of potential relevance are neurotransmitters including such biogenic amines as norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin, and histamine, as well as acetylcholine. These neurotransmitters were tested in the present work using such model organisms as the green microalgae Chlorella vulgaris Beijer, Scenedesmus quadricauda (Turp.) Breb. К-1149, and Haematococcus lacustris (= pluvialis) strains IPPAS H-239 and BM-1, as well as the cyanobacterium Limnospira platensis IPPAS B-256. It was established that all tested neurotransmitters significantly stimulate the growth of the cultures of microalgae at sufficiently low (micromolar) concentrations. In light of the results of this work, uncontrollable microalgal growth seems to be possible under the influence of trace amounts of neurotransmitters in natural and artificial water bodies, which might cause their eutrophication. All tested substances influenced the photosynthetic pigment content at micromolar (or submicromolar) concentrations, acetylcholine being a quasi-universal promoter of their biosynthesis that presumably stimulates the photosynthetic activity of the microalgae. The effects of the other tested substances varied depending on the microalgal species involved but predominantly resulted in promoting photosynthetic pigment biosynthesis. A biotechnological project aimed at stimulating the microalgal biomass yield by supplementing microalgal cultures with neurotransmitters seems to hold promise for producing drugs, food additives, or biofuel.

Distribution features of cadmium, lead, partly Ag, Bi, In, Hg and Tl in suspended solids are considered. Studies were made on the Oka River in the area of the Prioksko-Terrasny Natural Biosphere Reserve on a river section remote from the zone of formation of the technogenic scattering stream, in the period 1983–2018. To assess the general trend of changes in the concentration of the elements over the period of the experiment, it was proposed to consider the results on their prevalence in the composition of suspended matter obtained in the intermediate hydrological phase of the river between the spring flood and the summer midden. This is the main feature and essence of our proposed approach in order to eliminate the influence of significant seasonal changes in the macro- and micro-component composition of suspensions. It is shown that the 35-year time interval can be divided into two periods, namely: the first one is characterized by a decrease in the concentration of heavy metals (Cd, Pb), while the second one is characterized by the absence of any trend, relatively weak fluctuations in values. The direction of changes in the concentration of elements in the first period correlates with the literature data on the dynamics of a decrease in the intake of anthropogenic wastewater into surface waters in recent decades and with the results of our assessment of the decrease in river water pollution upstream from the experimental area.

The article presents a comparative analysis of the development of the system of protected natural areas (PNA) in China and our country. PNA in China began to form in the middle of the 20th century following the example of the USSR, that is, with the creation of nature reserves with a strict protection regime. In the late 1960s, China saw a suspension in the development of the PNA system and even its partial reorganization, which was also typical for our country a decade earlier. Since the end of the 20th century and to the present, both in Russia and China, the PNA system has been actively developing – the number of protected areas is increasing and they are being restructured in accordance with the categories of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

This article examines the anthropogenic contribution to the planet’s climate system due to thermal pollution. Despite the quantitative predominance of solar and geothermal energy in the Earth’s heat balance, anthropogenic heat impacts the planet’s most sensitive shell – the biosphere. Thermal pollution in various countries has been assessed based on specific (per unit area) energy consumption, as all energy consumed by humanity is ultimately converted into heat and released into the biosphere. Specific carbon dioxide emissions also serve as an indirect indicator (marker) of thermal pollution, as fossil fuels remain the primary energy source. Calculated correlation coefficients between thermal pollution indicators (specific energy consumption and CO2 emissions) and climate warming in various regions have revealed a low positive correlation between these indicators (0.17–0.13, respectively), which indicates thermal pollution’s contribution to global warming to be still insignificant. Thus, the current contribution of anthropogenic heat to the climate system is primarily regional, which is undoubtedly important to consider in environmental policy to prevent the negative impact of this factor on the functioning of natural ecosystems. This is especially important in the context of global warming, primarily caused by natural factors.

The article continues the author’s series of publications on global Holocene activation. The research was carried out on the interface between geology and meteoritics within the context of the Earth pulsating expansion model, whereby the Earth began to evolve in a compression mode in the late Pleistocene. At the Pleistocene – Holocene boundary, the Earth was subjected to a massive pummeling of large asteroids and changed its orbit, moving closer to the Sun. From this time on, the compression increased sharply, crustal processes intensified causing an upsurge of continental orogeny, and global transgression intensified. Astroblemes are considered as constituents of the host geological systems. They are indicators of the onset of the Holocene activation. Evidence is presented of most of the known astroblemes being formed at the Pleistocene – Holocene boundary by a single stream of asteroids. Using astroblemes in South Africa and Eurasia as examples, their relationships were studied with Holocene orogenic systems – with their tectonics, volcanism, fluid dynamics, and drainage network. The global Holocene activation is shown to significantly change the natural environment, thereby triggering an unprecedented explosion in the development of human civilization.

The article considers the origins, nature and results of influence exerted by the famous Russian female mathematician Sofia Kovalevskaya (1850–1891) on her contemporary – Professor Nikolai Zhukovsky (1847–1921), who was an outstanding scientist in the field of mechanics and went down in history as the «father of Russian aviation». The circumstances of Professor Zhukovsky’s acquaintance with Sofia Kovalevskaya are analyzed. Based on the results of the content analysis of the epistolary heritage of S. Kovalevskaya and N. Zhukovsky, a conclusion was made about the absence of regular communication between these scientists through correspondence, despite N. Zhukovsky’s interest in the issues previously studied by S. Kovalevskaya. N. Zhukovsky’s contribution to the solution of the problem of motion of a heavy rigid body around a fixed point is analyzed, his original method used in his works on this subject is revealed. Few examples are given of N. Zhukovsky’s interest in solving other issues related to S. Kovalevskaya’s scientific interests. This article was prepared for the 175th anniversary of Sofia Kovalevskaya’s birth. Sources stored in the archival funds of the Scientific Memorial Museum of Professor Zhukovsky were used.

Of fundamental and priority applied importance are new scientific and practical results obtained at the V.R. Williams Federal Research Center of Forage Production & Agroecology for the study of natural food resources in Russia, based on modern knowledge, materials and technologies. For all 11 natural and economic regions of Russia (Northern, Northwestern, Volga-Vyatka, Central, Central Chernozem, Volga, North Caucasian, Ural, West Siberian, East Siberian, and Far Eastern), agro-landscape and ecological zoning of land and forage ecosystems has been developed. The following materials were obtained for each area: a map M 1:2,500,000, a legend, a database on land, a database on forage lands, a database on negative processes, a classification of forage lands, a classification of deer pastures (where available), recommendations for forage production and environmental management in agriculture. The research used the Map of the Soil and Ecological Zoning of Russia from the Faculty of Soil Science of Lomonosov Moscow State University, as well as other numerous sources. When creating and developing new highly productive and resistant plant varieties and nature-like technologies based on zoning, science and industry will be able to use local natural and climatic resources with the greatest efficiency and minimize the development of negative processes.

This study investigates the metal-bearing potential of Upper Jurassic (Tithonian stage) combustible shales from the Kashpir deposit (Volga Basin) using linear geochemical spectra methodology. Samples from mine workings and natural outcrops were analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (ED-XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results reveal elevated concentrations of Ca (27.5–38.6%) and Fe (20.3–24.3%), indicative of a carbonate-clay composition with pyrite inclusions, characteristic of reducing sedimentation conditions. Excesses over the Clarke values were revealed for Ba, Co, Sr, Ni, and Mo, confirming the industrial potential of these shales as a source of rare and non-ferrous metals. The authors have developed a novel analytical approach based on reference concentrations (maximum and minimum values), enabling assessment of metal enrichment without identifying a dominant ore-forming element–particularly valuable for multi-element systems. The observed differences between mine and surface samples are attributed to post-sedimentary processes (leaching and oxidation). Our findings demonstrate a consistent lithological-geochemical shale type and highlight prospects for their comprehensive exploitation.

The astronomical theory of climate changes (oscillations), created more than 100 years ago by the Serbian mathematician Milutin Milanković, in its current form does not explain global fluctuations of the natural environment in the Late Pleistocene, and therefore requires further refinement and development. And this theory has been modernized. Our revision is based on the results of calculations of the Earth’s insolation, performed with a high spatiotemporal resolution. The irradiation of the entire Northern Hemisphere was taken as the basis for determining the causes of the glaciations in Late Pleistocene. Variations in incoming solar radiation, calculated within the astronomical theory of climate, were supplemented by calculations of variations in the characteristics of radiative heat transfer. Based on the improved astronomical theory, the causes of global climate changes in the Late Pleistocene were found. The effect of dividing seasonal irradiation by phases of annual irradiation of the hemispheres was determined, and on this basis 7 warm and 9 cold solar epochs are distinguished in the solar climate of the Late Pleistocene. It has been determined that the glacial epochs in the Late Pleistocene of Northern Eurasia are associated with periods of positive average anomaly of winter meridional heat and moisture transfer and negative average anomaly of summer irradiation intensity in the Northern Hemisphere. Also, positive average anomalies of radiative heat transfer from the summer Southern Hemisphere to the winter Northern Hemisphere, as well as negative average anomalies of insolation seasonality in the Northern Hemisphere, correspond to glacial periods in the Late Pleistocene.

Interglacial epochs are associated with periods of positive average anomalies of summer radiation intensity and negative average anomalies of winter meridional transfer, and interhemispheric transfer of heat and moisture from the summer Southern Hemisphere to the winter Northern Hemisphere. Also, interglacial periods in the Late Pleistocene correspond to negative average anomalies of radiative heat transfer from the summer Southern Hemisphere to the winter Northern Hemisphere, as well as positive average anomalies of insolation seasonality in the Northern Hemisphere. The difference in the intensity of summer irradiation of warm and cold climate epochs in 100-thousand-year cycles averages 4.91 W/m2 (or 1.151% of the average Late Pleistocene value of summer irradiation intensity for the Northern Hemisphere). Therefore, the change of paleoclimatic epochs is associated mainly with the dynamics of the characteristics of summer radiation, and with the winter transfer of radiative heat and moisture determined by astronomical factors.

This paper examines the hierarchical organization of principles in soil science, emphasizing their continuity with classical positions from various scientific fields and their role in integrating theory and practice. The study highlights differences in the genesis of principles, ranging from theoretical generalizations to experimentally validated propositions. Special attention is given to ideas of V.I. Vernadsky and V.V. Dokuchaev, who laid the foundations for the systemic and evolutionary-historical approaches to soil study. It is demonstrated that the scientific worldview serves as the pinnacle of this hierarchy, defining a system of generalizations, including the principles of systemicity, historicism, and the primacy of scientific approaches formulated by Academician G.V. Dobrovolsky. These principles ensure unity between theoretical and applied directions, rooted in the classical supra-conceptual ideas by V.V. Dokuchaev, whose works underpin the genetic approach to soil study. Within the hierarchy, following the scientific worldview come methodological principles neutral to specific disciplinary sections, followed by concepts, laws, and principles. For instance, N.M. Sibirtsev’s genetic principle, formulated in the 19th century, continues to define approaches to soil genesis. The paper underscores the importance of continuity, showing that Dokuchaev’s principles of systemicity and historicism remain fundamental for developing new scientific leads. The hierarchical organization of principles and their intra- and interdisciplinary continuity serve as key instruments for the progress in soil science, enabling integration of diverse knowledge into a unified scientific field. The necessity for further systematization of principles, particularly in biogeochemical cycles and interdisciplinary research, and terminology harmonization to strengthen the link between theory and practice is also emphasized.

80 years ago, two biologists in the USSR, simultaneously and independently, began researching the mechanisms of hormone production by nerve cells, i.e., the processes of neurosecretion. These were L.B. Levinson from Moscow State University, who was engaged in cytochemical studies of neurosecretion in insects and amphibians, and N.L. Gerbilsky from Leningrad State University (LSU), who studied the structure of two parts of the fish brain (hypothalamus and pituitary gland), and the functions of their hormones (neurohormones) to regulate the processes of vital activity of the body and its adaptation to changing environmental conditions. This fundamental research area worked alongside major foreign scientific schools of neuroendocrinology, E. and B. Sharer, R. Collin, R. Gauppa, B. Hanstra, G. Russi, and M. Mosinger. The work was also of applied importance, in particular, under the leadership of N.L. Gerbilsky, the role of hypothalamic and pituitary hormones in migration and spawning processes in bony and sturgeon fish, who were threatened with extinction due to the start of the construction of hydroelectric power plants in the 1920–1930s. This scientific field has revealed the relationship between the morphofunctional organization of the nervous, endocrine and reproductive systems in animals and ecological features of their species and was called “ecological histophysiology”. The result of N.L. Gerbilsky’s research was the development of a technique for obtaining hormones produced in the fish brain and then injecting them to other individuals to stimulate their reproductive processes in the practice of fish farming. The purpose of this article is to show the contribution of N.L. Gerbilsky and his students to the development of biotechnical methods for managing migration behavior and spawning in bony and sturgeon fish species.

During ten field seasons, in the format of the scientific and educational expedition “Flotilla of Floating Universities”, whose concept is based on the synthesis of science and art, many researches and educational, volunteer and publishing projects and events have been implemented in the Volga region, the Caspian region, the Don region and the Urals. The research areas of the tenth field season in 2024 (Samara–Saratov Volga region) focused on: a) stratigraphic and astrochronological analysis of sections of Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene sediments, b) studying the role of living matter in the evolution of geoecosystems with special attention to biosimilar bodies (paleosoils, hardgrounds), c) analyzing the distribution of cosmic matter in natural environments in the zone of the “Saratov meteor shower” in 1918, and d) the history of the Great academic expeditions in the 18th century (the Volga routes of I.I. Lepekhin, P.S. Pallas, and I.P. Falk). The key scientific and educational projects were a field meeting of the RAS Commission for the Study of the Heritage of Outstanding Scientists (V.I. Vernadsky section) and a field session of the Moscow Society of Naturalists (MOIP) on the Volsk–Saratov section of the expedition’s main route.

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) serve as hubs for the redistribution of biogenic element flows, since they generate three output streams (liquid, solid and gaseous), where the proportional content of biogenic elements depends on the wastewater treatment technology. The circular economy principles require accounting for these flows to develop a strategy for utilizing biogenic elements to meet the needs of the growing urban population. Identifying sewerage basins within a river basin serves as a tool for calculating these flows. The maximum possible amount of biogenic elements (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus) redirected by treatment plants to local water bodies, to the atmosphere, and to sewage sludge is estimated for each sewerage basin. Such calculations enable an assessment of the maximum biogenic load downstream of the treatment plant discharge point (in the event of a plant shutdown) and the design of potential technological chains for utilizing sewage sludge. The author proposes to use a GIS-based method to identify sewerage basins within a river basin. This approach allows for the calculation of maximum biogenic element flows based on the population within each sewerage basin, providing insights into the environmental load on each individual basin and the entire river basin as a whole. Additionally, this method identifies zones with the highest load on watercourses within the river basin and assesses the risks of watercourse pollution due to urban development and the emergence of new residential areas. The article presents a methodology for identifying sewerage basins within the Moscow River basin, calculating the population within their boundaries, and estimating the daily load of two indicators, namely: total nitrogen and phosphate phosphorus. Using geoinformation tools, a map of sewerage basins was plotted, identifying areas within the Moscow River basin with the highest and lowest coverage of wastewater treatment plants.

Due to the large volume of coal mining in the Russian Federation and other countries, there is a serious issue of the formation of waste heaps from coal dumps, which pose a significant threat to the environment of adjacent territories. One of such areas is the Donetsk coal basin, whose area is more than 60 thousand km2. Phytoreclamation is the most common and cost-effective method recommended for the restoration of degraded coal dump soil, which reduces the removal of toxic substances with dust emissions and water runoff. However, plant growth on these soils is hindered by their phytotoxicity and unfavorable physical and physicochemical properties. The aim of this research was to develop a biogeochemical technology for the reclamation of coal dumps in Donbas based on phytoreclamation with various additives. Our experiments involved soil samples taken from the upper layer of the Ayutinskaya mine waste heap in the Donetsk coal basin, as well as zonal ordinary chernozem samples. The experiments were conducted in microfield conditions in bottomless vessels with an area of 0.1 m2 dug into the ground. The additives used were wood biochar and other sorbents, including mineral (diatomite and vermiculite) and organic (acidic and neutralized peat) ones, as well as ordinary chernozem and quarry sand – clean and with biohumus additives. The soil was seeded with a drought-resistant lawn mixture. All additives had a positive effect on the growth of green mass of drought-resistant lawn, measured during 3 cuttings ib the vegetation season of 2024. However, the best results were obtained with the addition of neutralized peat and chernozem at doses of 25 %, as well as quarry sand at doses of 25 and 50 % with the addition of biohumus; at the same time, the additional addition of 5 % biochar to all these samples gave no desired result.

Based on our previously performed calculations of irradiation with high spatial and temporal resolutions, using data from high-precision astronomical ephemerides, changes in the intensity of summer irradiation in the polar and equatorial 5-degree latitude zones of the Northern Hemisphere were analyzed. Over the period of 1900–2050 AD, a decrease in the intensity of summer irradiation in the polar region and its increase in the equatorial region were observed. The consequences of this phenomenon are an increase in the meridional gradient of insolation and an increase in the intensity of the meridional transfer of radiative heat associated with the rise of land surface air temperature and ocean surface temperature in the Arctic.

The faster temperature increase in the Arctic compared to other regions can be explained by the fact that energy (heat) is transferred from a larger area (heat source) to a smaller one (heat sink). In the summer half-year, the source area of radiative heat is 4.5 times greater than the sink area. As a result, the relative values of thermal energy (temperature) increase.

It is shown that based on the relationships between the patterns of the natural environment in the Arctic and the characteristics of its irradiation, it is possible to predict climate changes and the natural environment state in the Arctic on the basis of the characteristics of irradiation calculated for future time periods.

In this paper, we discuss questions of the common origin of the disciplines of soil science and landscape geochemistry. Their closeness lies in their common objects of study — soils and landscapes — and a common methodological approach based on systemic analysis, the evolutionary-historical principle, and the priority of the scientific approach in solving practical problems, as laid down by V.V. Dokuchaev. The prominent naturalists A.E. Fersman and V.I. Vernadsky emphasized the genetic connection and mutual enrichment of these sciences through theoretical concepts and experimental data. When considering common problems of these two disciplines, particular importance is given to the biological cycle as a fundamental law governing the functioning of ecosystems. In the classification of soils and soil-geochemical catenae, their position within the system of geographic landscapes is especially significant. Currently, priority issues include anthropogenic impacts and environmental monitoring, which involve studies of element migration over the biosphere, as well as efforts towards mathematical modeling.

The results of our research conducted at the junction of geology, speleology and archeology are presented. Every cave is considered as an integral part of the enclosing geological system. Representative examples show the nature of the interrelationships of caves with structures of the continental crust of Eurasia, Africa and North America. The research was performed within the framework of the pulsationally expanding Earth model. According to this model, at the Pleistocene–Holocene turn, our planet was bombarded by a stream of asteroids, after which it switched to a pulsed compression mode, with a sharp activation of orogeny at the Holocene beginning. At that time, caves with their Paleolithic–Neolithic cultural layers were deformed. Their deformations are considered as Holocene activation indicators.

December 29, 2024 marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of Russia's largest cultural and educational environmental organization, the All-Russian Nature Conservation Society (ARNCS). The article discusses the main stages of the crea­tion, formation and development of ARNCS and its main achievements.

The article presents a retrospective analysis of the development of educational and enlightenment activities in the Earth Science Museum of Moscow State University named after Lomonosov from the moment of its foundation to the present. The following trends are highlighted: expansion of the forms and methods of museum pedagogy over time, introduction of interactive methods in the practice of the educational and enlightenment activities, work with various age visitor groups (from younger pupils and students to adults), as well as the use of digital methods in the educational process.

The considered part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge extends from the Agulhas-Falkland fracture zone to the Bouvet triple junction. This segment has a contrasting topography. In its southern part, it has the morphology of an axial rise, while in its middle part it has the morphology typical for a slow-spreading rift valley. In the northern part, an area with transitional morphology can be distinguished. Three morphostructural complexes of transverse faults are distinguished, approximately corresponding to areas with various morphology. Such a different structure and segmentation of the spreading ridge became possible owing to the thermal influence of the Shona and Bouvet mantle plumes in the southern part of the considered segment and the Discovery mantle plume in its northern part. To reconstruct the morphostructure formation conditions in the ridge axial zone, physical modeling was implemented. In our experiments, we obtained various relief types and transverse discontinuities complexes depending on the distance from the thermal anomaly. They match the natural morphostructures. The modeling results suppose that the main formation conditions of the contemporary Mid-Atlantic Ridge terrain are spreading obliquity, thermal anomaly intensity, and the plume center position relatively to the spreading axis.

In development of fundamental ideas of the MSU professors V.I. Vernadsky, V.A. Kov­da and M.A. Glazovskaya in the field of the biosphere and its biogeochemical organization, the use of biogeochemical standards for parameterization of the technogenic impact on various ecosystems is proposed. To assess these standards quantitatively, the application of the critical loads methodology is shown. Algorithms to calculate the values of critical loads are proposed, in particular, for acid-forming and eutrophicating sulfur and nitrogen compounds emitted during the operation of various industries, including the oil and gas one. Using the example of the impact zone of the Central Asia–Center main gas pipeline planned for reconstruction, the maps of critical loads are presented and an assessment of the environmental risk in the coastal zone of the Caspian Sea is given.

For many decades, two main watercourses in the town of Volsk (Saratov region) have been serving the transit function of sewage effluents to the Volgograd reservoir. Sampling of bottom sediments was carried out along the length of the Verkhnyaya and Nizhnyaya Malykovka watercourses in order to analyze the specificity of the chemical composition of alluvial formations under technogenic impact conditions. The fraction of technogenic particles (plastics, coal, paint, synthetic fibers, etc.) was 4–20%. In terms of chemical composition, alluvium is represented by silicites with varying degrees of clay content., Bottom sediments are characterized as clay silicites, with the maximum content of heavy metals and organic matter (based on the value of loss on ignition) in the areas where wastewater enters the watercourses. The most typical contamination is with zinc, lead, and barium. The overall level of technogenic pollution of bottom sediments is high and can be named considerable in the upper reaches of the Nizhnyaya Malykovka watercourse only. In order to improve the ecological status of the watercourses, a set of measures is needed, including reconstruction and the creation of new infrastructure facilities of the urban environment.

Features of the prevalence of Cd and Pb dissolved forms in the water of sections of the Oka river and other rivers of the Russian Plain are considered. The influence of anthropogenic wastewater (industrial, municipal and agricultural) containing heavy metals is clearly manifested only in certain sections of the rivers of central Russia (Oka River, Volga River, and Moscow River) against the background of natural landscape and geochemical processes. An attempt is made to develop approaches to assessing the degree of anthropogenic influence on the water composition of various river sections, including those remote from pollution zones. An ecological and geochemical lead–cadmium indicator is proposed, which makes it possible to assess the anthropogenic impact and divide river sections into 3 categories (strong, medium and weak pollution, respectively). The river sections with low anthropogenic pollution have high values of this indicator corresponding to waters with the background (or close to background) concentration. A decrease in the indicator values means an increase in the role of anthropogenic effluents in the water composition, and estimates of the average concentrations of elements are technogenically dependent.

The article discusses the applicability of the Industry 4.0 concept to agriculture in general and fertilizer usage in particular. The possibilities of integrating IT and communication technologies with agricultural production are shown, when “smart” network systems combining various types of data from several sources help to increase productivity and efficiency. Examples are given of increasing the efficiency of fertilizer usage, primarily nitrogen ones, using electronic twins of agronomic and agrochemical technologies to reduce their environmental impacts. It is noted that the introduction of Industry 4.0 technologies increases the efficiency of precision farming as a combination of the best practices of sustainable agriculture (BPSA). Examples of assessing the life cycle of fertilizers considering the risk of eutrophication of natural waters are given. This allows achieving economic and environmental optimization of agriculture.

Brief information about the author’s course dedicated to the world of gemstones is provided. Data of first-order gemstones (diamond, emerald, sapphire, ruby, alexandrite and pearl) are given. The questions of the discovery history of these gemstones, their classification, properties, formation in nature, methods of synthesis, methods of refining, as well as estimation systems are considered. Due to a large amount of information, the course is divided into four sections and clearly structured in each of them. This helps to make it easier to perceive. Online course design allows the lecturer to effectively interact with the audience.

The key principle of the Arctic development should be nature-saving nature management. The agro-landscape-ecological zoning of the Far North fodder ecosystems developed at the V.R. Williams Federal Research Centre for Forage Production and Agroecology is aimed at this very goal. About 90 % of Murmansk District is occupied by reindeer pastures, in some places disturbed as a result of their irrational use by reindeer herders, mining, construction, and transport; the ecological state of the territory is tense. In Yamal District, reindeer pastures occupy 65 % of the area; the ecological state of the ecosystems is tense or even critical in some places. The area of lichen tundras has decreased by 3,5–4 times, total fodder reserves in lichen-moss tundras, in those areas where they are still preserved, have decreased by 3–10 times. The total reserves of green grass fodder and shrubs has decreased by 1.5–2 and 2–8 times, respectively. Desertification of highlands (bare sands occupied about 6 %) and waterlogging of lowland areas is going on. Technogenic impact on tundra ecosystems disturbs soil and vegetation cover, hydrological regime. Waterlogging of lowlands due to thermoerosion is starting. It is necessary to find compromises between economy, ecology, social and national interests.

The exposition of the department "Natural Zones" in the Earth Science Museum of Moscow State University (25th floor, halls Nos 18–20) presents 15 full-scale exhibits of dry 3D fragments of biogeocenoses, namely: spotted tundra; forest tundra; swamps: flat-hummocky tundra, oligotrophic upland and mesotrophic lowland sedge; spruce-green grass; grass-grass and tipchak-grass steppes; subtropical mountain forest; alpine meadows; semi-deserts; deserts – clay, wormwood-solyanka and ilak belosaksaulnik on ridge sands; and savannas. These exhibits demonstrate the interaction of the main natural components characteristic of the respective climatic conditions (soils, flora, and fauna). The article gives a description of the animal species represented in the exposition based on a visual examination of zoological exhibits and a study of their nomenclature and taxonomic changes.

The article analyzes approaches to the development and conduct of excursions for students of the early twentieth century and provides recommendations already expressed a hundred years ago for guides and teachers. It was then that two main approaches were distinguished, namely: orientation to listeners (excursionists) and the guide’s detailed knowledge of the museum’s objects. Currently, the preparation of excursions to both the Natural science museum and the botanical garden is almost the same and includes the same stages: from choosing a topic to developing a detailed plan. But botanical garden excursions differ from museum ones, as they have a seasonal nature and depends on the flowering period of the plants. However, all excursions (in a museum or in a botanical garden) perform the same functions, namely: informational, cultural, educational and leisure, although in terms of the degree of impact on human feelings, undoubtedly, botanical garden excursions differ significantly from museum excursions.

The article describes two groups of facies most widely represented in the collections of Lower Frasnian invertebrates of the Main Devonian Field in the Mining Museum (hardgrounds and pelecypod banks). The presence of three types of hardgrounds has been established, differing in the nature of the original bottom and the time of exposure of each hardground, and hence structural and textural features of rocks and systematic composition of oryctocenoses. The first type is crinoidal limestone with an extensive complex of sclerobionts and traces of bioerosion by Trypanites Mägdefrau, an uneven surface and a visually almost complete absence of impregnation. In hardgrounds of this type, three generations of sclerobionts are distinguished, namely: abiogenic substrates (first), incrustators of the remains of organisms of the first generation (second), and bioerosion organisms (third). The second type is micritic limestone with a smooth glass-type surface, a small complex of sclerobionts and traces of bioerosion by Trypanites Mägdefrau. The third type is pelecypod limestones with an uneven surface, isolated sclerobionts, numerous traces of bioerosion by Trypanites Mägdefrau and strong ferruginous impregnation. For the most widespread hardgrounds of the first type, the presence of specific taphofacies has been established, characterized by good preservation of organic remains of the first generation, an almost complete absence of organic remains of the second generation, and a complete absence of bioerodible organisms. The appearance of such taphofacies is due to the short exposure time of the hardground and the beginning of a rapid process of new accumulation immediately after the appearance of the first organisms of the second generation. The presence of such taphofacies emphasizes the importance of distinguishing taphofacies in certain paleofacies and certain types of oryctocenoses. In the oryctocenoses of pelecypod shells, three morphological and ethological types of cornulitids have been established. The most representative settlements of cornulithids were characteristic of calcareous clay soils with small areas of compacted bottom.

The old hypothesis by Academician V.I. Vernadsky of the biosphere being a geological force to build the surface and immediate interior of our planet is indirectly supported based on statistical data. According to occurrence data on findings of all known animal specimens and according to some characteristics of the tectonic activity of the Earth, the presence of several previously unknown cycles shortening from cycle to cycle (approx. By a factor of 1.51) over about a billion years, is substantiated. This leads to an idea of a cause-and-effect relationship between these two different categories of cycles. The influence of tectonics on biota, to one degree or another, has long been known. However, due to the mentioned cycles being rather accelerated, it is difficult to imagine that such strong acceleration in the tectonic cycles could arise due to some intra-tectonic causes, whereas the accelerated nature of biotic evolution due to some intrabiotic causes is quite possible. So, a conclusion arises of the mentioned contracting tectonic cycles being modulated by biota. Possible mechanisms of such influence are hypothesized, their clarification requiring additional research. This conclusion is revolutionary for geology and reveals biotic evolution’s previously unknown role as an active creator of global tectonic (cyclic) processes at a new, quantitative level, which is also revolutionary for evolutionary biology. But, regardless of these conclusions, the mentioned decreasing cyclicity is of interest itself, for the first time (statistically) speaking about the accelerated nature of evolution over such vast time periods.

The problem of global climate warming and attempts to solve it, including using low-carbon power engineering, are analyzed. The success of solving this problem depends on the degree of understanding of the processes which cause it. As more and more data speak about natural causes of climate fluctuations, and of anthropogenic factors the greatest contribution to the warming is made by thermal pollution rather than the anthropogenic growth of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, low-carbon power, with all its positive qualities, is unable to solve the problem of climate warming.

The public perception of global natural processes in the climate change context plays an important role in modern political decision-making; and the country’s future depends on the younger generation. This survey was aimed at revealing public attitude to changes in global natural processes among the participants and organizers of the Thirteenth All-Russia Competition of children’s environmental projects “Man on Earth”. An online questionnaire “Biospheric processes, their understanding and consideration in your own research and environmental activities” was offered for completion in February–March 2023. We received 1173 voluntarily completed questionnaires from the respondents aged 6 to 60 and older. More than 70 % of respondents consider human activity to be the cause of global climate changes, with the majority of respondents having a negative attitude to climate warming. However, be there a possibility of climate management, the majority of respondents would like climate warning at a local level. With age, the number of those wishing for climate stabilization (return to the climatic norm) increases. Approximately 50 % of the respondents consider that global natural processes directly affect the status of the environment. At the same time, only 10 % attribute the unfavorable state of the environment to global factors. People aged over 60 are most concerned about global environmental problems.

The article considers an ecology course in relation to the most optimal approach for primary school children–on the example of various ecosystems of the world with consideration of individual examples of adaptation genesis and evolution of wildlife. The authors used the following teaching techniques and methods: avoiding the teacher’s adaptive speech, forming the skill of hypothesizing, and laying the foundations of biological drawing. All this helps us to make a better transition from theoretical educational programs to the practical acquaintance of children with the biodiversity of natural communities. This course can be used within the framework of museum pedagogy and on educational platforms, which can be the natural landscapes of protected areas of regional significance (nature reserves and preserves, natural monuments).

Built over five centuries ago using white stone, this unique Russian architectural monument stands as the sole surviving building from the estate of the Romanov boyars, located in the ancient part of Moscow known as “Zaryadye.” Today, it serves as the museum “Chambers of the Boyars of the Romanovs.” However, the masonry has begun to collapse under the influence of water, frost, and various technogenic loads.

The monument’s location is characterized by the presence of unfavorable engineering and geological processes, with flooding being the main issue. This has led to a rise in groundwater levels and their constant interaction with the foundation’s soil. The excess moisture content in the limestone pores, saturated with aggressive components (SO42-, NO3-,Cl-), has led to limestone dissolution and leaching, as well as salt crystallization both on the surface and inside the masonry.

To understand the weathering processes affecting the limestone, researchers conducted a study on samples taken from several parts of the monument, dividing them into several groups based on their structural stability. The results revealed that the structurally unstable, completely destroyed to a dispersed state (reminiscent of flour) samples, displayed significant changes in their physical, mechanical and chemical properties. This was due to the leaching of calcite, leading to a decrease in its content from 99 % down to 40-45 %, and an increase in porosity from 15 % up to 49 %, resulting in a density reduction from 2.29 down to 1.32 g/cm³.

The study also found that microbial components in the stone could also lead to an increase in the content of finely dispersed fractions. The walls of the monument, both inside and outside, were found to be colonized by mold fungi (9 species) and bacteria (2 species). The genera Penicillium (5 species) and Aspergillus (2 species), renowned as biodestructors of stone materials, were the most prevalent among the identified species. The content of these micromycetes varied significantly (ranging from 300 to 105 CFU/g) depending on the sampling location.

To mark the 160^th anniversary of V.I. Vernadsky's birth, Lomonosov Moscow State University has organized an exhibition based on the theme of “living matter”, which to a greater or lesser extent permeates all the geospheres of our planet, provides many mechanisms of interaction between the geospheres and links between the planet and the cosmos. Natural exhibits demonstrate peculiarities of the geochemical transformation of individual organisms and their communities during the transition from the biosphere to the lithosphere, the diversity of biocosmic bodies in the history of our planet, the possibilities of modern sciences in reconstructing geobiosystems of the past. The structure of the exhibition includes a number of special blocks containing original exhibits and information, namely: “Scientist’s Cabinet” with information about the life path, scientific directions and some students and followers of Academician V.I. Vernadsky (connected to him through Moscow University). The cluster “Co-evolution of the Biosphere and Lithosphere” with disclosure of the mechanisms of transition of living matter and integral ecosystems into the “stone record” of the Earth, the structure of the pedosphere in a broad sense, the diversity of biogeoprocesses and their products in the history of the Earth, the formation of “archives of nature” in the geospheres, the functioning of geobiodynamically active zones on the example of the East European Platform; the cluster “University’s Lukomorye”, reflecting peculiarities of coastal geo-ecosystems for the general public (on the example of the Paleocene of the Volga region). Most of the exhibits of the exhibition have been obtained during the scientific and educational expedition “Flotilla of Floating Universities” (2015–2022) from the Volga region, the Caspian Sea, the Don region and the Urals and are considered in the future as the basis for the development of a model polygon of the “MSU Youth Museum”.

The prevalence of the ecological approach over the historical and partly natural-historical ones in the exposition and exhibition activities of museums may have negative consequences in the perception of the population. In domestic museums, the theme of the history of environmental protection, public environmental organizations, especially youth ones, is poorly represented. Among them are nature protection squads (NPS) and their whole movement, which was most active in the 1970–1980s. Most of their archives have been lost. Therefore, the exhibition at the Voronezh Regional Local History Museum “Youth on guard of nature”, dedicated to the 50^th anniversary of NPS in Voronezh State University, can be considered unique.

From March 24 to June 5, 2023, the Voronezh Regional Local History Museum for the first time among domestic museums demonstrated an exhibition dedicated to the activities of a student public environmental organization in the 1970s–1990s. The article substantiates the uniqueness of this exhibition and the relevance of such museum expositions. It tells about its multitasking and creative solution of a number of issues of the exposition. Questions are raised about the proportionality between the ecological and historical approaches (including the history of ecological aspects of culture) in museum expositions.

A popular science film “Brotherhood of Scientific Creativity. Floating University named after Vladimir Vernadsky” was shot to the 160^th anniversary of the birth of Academician V.I. Vernadsky. Work on the film was carried out during 2022–2023 as part of the activities of the scientific and educational expedition «Floating Universities Flotilla» (the field work regions being the Middle and Lower Volga river, Don river, Caspian sea). It includes the original projects “Academician Vernadsky’s Floating University” and “Floating mobile-network museum center”. The concept of the project basically provides for interdisciplinary research on a wide range of problems of the interaction of geospheres and the evolution of geoecosystems, which is being implemented by creative teams of scientists from various fields and students with the active involvement of the local population in interactive museum practices. According to the main message of the film, it is in such an environment of “scientific creativity”, in the format of field natural sciences, that the development of the ideological heritage of V.I. Vernadsky on the principles of the “Priyutinsky Brotherhood” and maturation of the “new Vernadskies” from novice researchers. The original system of scenario and producer’s decisions included the contrast of images «academician–student», a series of episodes of actual field research (the study of geological sections, the phenomenon of lithophagy, natural and anthropogenic objects) with the implicit inclusion of the “young Vernadsky” in the process (the character is an actor) and subsequent the culminating meeting of the “two Vernadskies” (montage) against the background of the Volga river – a symbolic handover of the baton of “scientific creativity” to a new generation.

The concept of biogeocenoses as structural units of the biosphere is reflected in the exposition of the department “Natural Zones” (Halls No. 18–20 on the 25^th floor) of the Moscow State University Museum of Earth Science: the interaction of the main natural components characteristic of the corresponding climatic conditions – soils, flora and fauna – is succinctly demonstrated. There are 15 full-scale exhibits of dry volumetric fragments of biogeocenoses: spotted tundra; forest tundra; swamps: flat-hummocky tundra, oligotrophic upland and mesotrophic lowland sedge; spruce-green grass; grass-grass and tipchak-grass steppes; subtropical mountain forest; alpine meadows; semi–deserts; deserts – clay, wormwood-solyanka and ilak belosaksaulnik on ridge sands; and savannas as well.

A new three-stage method for assessing the CO₂ balance in plant communities was formulated. The methodology includes not only taking into account the absorption of C-CO₂ during plantation vegetation, but also the processes occuring when using wood. In managed forests, when calculating the carbon balance, it is necessary to take into account the release of CO₂ not only at direct, but also at indirect consumption of technical energy for laying plantations, caring for them, and felling for final use. As a model, the consumption of technical energy in cultivating natural and genetically modified forms of aspen Populus tremula L. was calculated. The large role of indirect expenditure of technical energy in the C-CO₂ balance in forest plantations is shown. The use of a genetically modified clone of aspen significantly increases the productivity of plantations and CO₂ absorption from the atmosphere compared to its natural form. On a long time scale the final amount of CO₂ runoff from the atmosphere depends not only on the area of forests and their productivity, but also on the way of using wood. There is a highly effective way of using forest plantations to regulate the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere, which is currently little paid attention, namely, the so-called substitution effect. Replacing energy-intensive materials (reinforced concrete, plastic, metal, and brick) with wood may be one of the main ways for the positive impact of forests on the CO₂ content in the atmosphere. The use of wood biomass from thinning, wood processing wastes, short-rotation forests for heat and power generation is a great reserve for replacing fossil hydrocarbons. The forest area needs to be expanded to increase wood production to replace energy-intensive building materials and generate biofuels.

The fulfillment of the tasks set by the 1949-1965 State Plan for Nature Transformation became the work of the whole country. Its goal was the development of sustainable agriculture in the steppe and forest–steppe regions of the European part of the USSR. It is an example of a responsible state attitude to the use and preservation of our lands and soil fertility. The State Plan for nature transformation was bases on the integrated reclamation of agricultural landscapes using a scientific systematic approach to the objects of research and management. State authorities, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, scientists from dozens of universities and research institutes, ministries, 80 thousand collective farms, 2 thousand state farms, and 3 thousand machine tractor stations took an active part in the organization and large-scale implementation of protective afforestation and the development of a grass-field farming system. The plan provided for the creation of 8 large state forest strips with a total length of 5,320 km, located along floodplains and watersheds of the Volga, Dnieper, Don, Ural, Seversky Donets rivers etc.; protective forest plantations in the fields of collective farms and state farms; consolidation and afforestation of sands on an area of 322 thousand ha; the introduction and development of a system of field and fodder grass-field crop rotations; and the creation of over 44 thousand ponds and reservoirs. Over the 5 years of the plan's implementation, more than 2.3 million ha of forest plantations have been planted in the country; an ecological framework of agricultural landscapes has been created on agricultural lands; over 13 thousand ponds and reservoirs have been created. The prototype of the scientific basis of the State Plan for Nature Transformation was the works by V. V. Dokuchaev, V. R. Williams and V. I. Vernadsky on the conservation of land and soil fertility. The implementation of the plan stopped in 1953 and the development of virgin and fallow lands began. Currently, the state, scientists, society, regions and agricultural producers need combining their efforts in the rational usage of natural resources, the preservation of agricultural land and soil fertility for the present and future generations.

The article shows that each period of the evolutionary process of the biosphere formation on Earth corresponds to one form of soil formation, namely: underwater (“hydrozemic”), swampy (“atmozemic”), and terrestrial (“lithozemic”). The ancient swamp soil formation is considered, in addition to biomass deposition, to take part in the formation of the oxygen-containing composition of the planet’s gaseous envelope and the release of organisms from the aquatic environment to land. It has been determined that the process of paludification and swamp soils in the past and at present did and do perform the same biospheric functions and should include the entire genetic profile up to the basal rock in the concept of “peat soil”. On the example of the central part of Western Siberia, the process of paludification in the Holocene period is considered. This process is defined as a single, irreversible, progressive process of conjugated changes in their biotic and abiotic components. This ensures autonomy in the development and preservation of mires as a special type of the biogeocenotic cover of Earth. It is shown that the differences in the mire complexes of different botanico–geographical zones and subzones reveal the chronological boundaries of the transformation of swamp biogeocenoses of eutrophic types into mesotrophic and oligotrophic ones. It has been determined that the process of paludification in the taiga zone of the West Siberian Plain is of aggressive nature and the expected warming is a temporary warm period in the interval of cyclical climate.

The article presents the model of a new approach to solving environmental prob-lems, namely, a scheme for the transformation of soil energy in the material and spiritual spheres of society. The activation of mass creativity and the theme of harvest in art will contribute to the formation of environmental consciousness for human survival on Earth.

The article analyzes geotourism perspectives based on natural history museums. Significant trends for the integrated development of geotourism and natural history museums are formulated. These trends allow revealing prospective views on the tourist potential of the territory. In order to clarify the geotourism development potential at the place of the Earth’s geochronological key stages, several museums were analyzed in conjunction with the geotoponyms of geological systems in the world. A geoheritage interpretation model, correlating ex situ museums and in situ objects, is developed. It includes territorial aspects and substantive formats of interpretation, depending on the target audience and the format of interaction with geoheritage. Geoheritage evaluation includes three groups of criteria (scientific, educational and geotourism), each being estimated to summarize approaches for the museum representation. The criteria are ranged according to the comparison purpose of in situ and ex situ forms. The variety of geoheritage interpretation forms allows suggesting recommendations for geotourism development. One symbolically significant way is the museumification of in situ and ex situ objects to correlate the museum network and the network of protected areas as a complex tourist infrastructure. For the Perm Region as a historically significant place of the Permian geological system discovery, the priority is to develop a complex plan to integrate the possibilities of geoheritage representation through museum forms and in the natural environment. In view of the objective scientific data, the Perm Region has no GSSP of the Permian system; therefore the role of the “symbolic stratotype” should have the Permian Period Museum as the basic object of the geotourism infrastructure and the starting point of tourist routes. The supportive role in the Permian geoheritage preservation and representation belongs to the network of municipal and university museums.

The preservation and in situ museumification of archaeological objects of stratigraphic sections of cultural layer soils, whose value depends on the integrity and intactness, is a complex and underdeveloped problem. This is due to some specific properties of these soils, such as the heterogeneity of soil composition both vertically and horizontally; the diversity of inclusions, the uneven compressibility of the strata, the ability to self-compact from their weight, changes in hydrogeological conditions, soil soaking and the decomposition of organic inclusions. As a result, these soils are the most unfavorable in artificial stabilization. In the study, a wide range of soils of the cultural layer from various places with stabilization plans were examined. Our analysis of the deposits made it possible to separate these soils by geochemical features which have the highest impact on the intensity of the chemical solution’s interaction processes with the mineral component of the soil.
This chemical solution is in a family of silicate compositions with surfactants of the amide class. These organic liquid glass hardeners activate the skeletal part of the soil and provide the complete mobilization of the main cementing substance (silica gel). Pilot tests of various modifications of organo-silicate solutions were carried out at the sites of Chersonesos (Sevastopol), Tanais (Rostov region), Moscow, etc. The soils ranged from sandy to loamy with various inclusions (building stone, ceramics, bones, fish scales, shells, ash, soot, plant roots, etc.). Soil stabilization was carried out by injecting chemical solutions of various densities with the use of vertical and horizontal injections. An important finding of the work was that forming a new soil mass with improved properties was determined by the composition, properties of the soil and injection solutions, the distance from the injector and the depth of the stabilized area.
For the first time in Russia, at the center of Moscow, it was possible to preserve the soil mass in situ of the cultural layer of the 16–17^th centuries and exhibit it for 32 years to visitors in the underground archaeological museum.