The article tells about the creation of a museum at the Institute of Developmental Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences in a virtual format and about plans to open a permanent exhibition in a hall. The history of the Institute and the contribution of its outstanding employees are briefly considered.

For the first time in the research literature, the paper highlights the cooperation of the outstanding Russian investigators G.N. Potanin (1835–1920) and V.I. Vernadsky (1863–1945). The basis of interaction between these scientists was determined by the fact that both of them were students of Natural Department of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of Imperial St. Petersburg University. They carried the knowledge and interest in research gained at the university throughout their lives. Based on authentic sources, the authors revealed the role of A.A. Inostrantsev (1843–1919) as the organizer and ruler of the geological cabinet (museum) at St. Petersburg University, where G.N. Potanin acquired the necessary knowledge for his scientific expeditions to Central Asia in 1874. Under the influence of Dr. Inostrantsev, Potanin realized the importance of museums in geology and other branches. Besides, he supported V.V. Dokuchaev (1846–1903) in conducting soil science research in Russia. The paper emphasizes the participation of the university student Vladimir Vernadsky in Prof. Dokuchaev’s expeditions and in the preparation of a soil exposition at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1889. Following in the footsteps of his teachers and mentors, V.I. Vernadsky joined the museum science, became the curator of the Mineralogical Museum in Alma Mater, and then, some years later, in the Imperial Moscow University.

Immediate communication between V.I. Vernadsky and G.N. Potanin occurred in the 1890s – 1900s, when they participated in discussions on ideological and political reorganization of Russia, pondered on the problems of regional self-government in the country. As a brief conclusion from this publication, the authors postulate free thought and scientific creativity, which related to Vernadsky and Potanin, as relevant ideas of our days.

The paper is devoted to the influence of outstanding Russian scientists Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleyev and Vasily Vasilyevich Dokuchaev on the formation of the views of their brilliant student Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky, his formation as a great Russian thinker and naturalist on a planetary scale, as well as their further creative interaction.

Here is a brief overview of the author’s lecture series — an additional general education program “Mineralogical Journey into the Depths of the Earth and Back” dedicated to minerals characterizing the main layers of the Earth, namely: the crust, the upper and lower mantle, and the core. The Program provides a general understanding of the Earth’s structure and minerals, their main properties, and natural formation processes. It covers key minerals of the Earth’s crust such as quartz, gemstones like ruby, sapphire, emerald, etc., as well as mantle minerals, including diamond. Information on the application of these minerals in technology and the jewelry industry is also presented. During the preparation and conduction of the online course, the author implemented an individualized approach, which helps enhancing the learners’ understanding and increase their satisfaction. This course was developed by the author and piloted at the Earth Science Museum of Moscow State University named after Lomonosov. To facilitate the absorption of a large amount of information, the series is divided into four sessions and clearly structured within each one. The online format enables the lecturer to interact fully with the audience at any time convenient for the participants.

The position of the nasal sacs and nostrils, as well as some features of the brain structure in antiarchs (placoderm fishes) are analyzed, based mainly on the examples of Bothriolepis and Asterolepis. A new possible reconstruction of the olfactory system and brain in antiarchs is proposed. The paired nasal sacs are closely located to the anterior wall of the telencephalon; tracti olfactorii are absent; telencephalon is situated anterior to the diencephalon, as it was reconstructed for other placoderms; and the epiphysis process is elongated. The mesencephalon, cerebellum and medula oblongata, bearing the fossa romboidea, are placed posterior to the diencephalon in the otico-occipital part of the endocranium.