№ 10 (2021)

Anthropologists manage to extract information from the most insignificant objects found in ancient sites. One tooth or one phalanx of a finger can help to determine the species and gender of hominids; DNA, extracted from the soil, can show which humans or pre-humans inhabited this particular site at different time periods; a tiny piece of tartar can clear up the food preferences of its owner and whether the food was processed on fire. The article considers the seven most famous finds of hominid footprints in volcanic ash.

The article describes the nature and history of the Dolgaya Spit, as well as the results of the expedition organized by the Russian Geographical Society in June—July 2021. Aerial photography of the Dolgaya Spit has been carried out; morphometric parameters of the coastal shafts that form the accumulative body of the spit have been measured. The field of currents and the thermohaline structure of waters have been studied in the marine water area of the Dolgaya Spit. The structure of various parts of the Dolgaya Spit, as well as the composition of modern and fossil (from cores and coastal sediments) mollusks have been studied; shell material for the radiocarbon-determination of the absolute age of coastal shafts has been sampled. Bird observations revealed that plastic garbage is the leading factor affecting the state of bird populations, including rare species. Archaeological finds on the islands of the Dolgaya Spit have shown the possibility of their transfer by currents from the destroyed monuments of the indigenous coast. Numerous landfills in wild camping areas have been identified; the erosion and scouring of the landfills of the 1950s and 1960s has been recorded.

Volcanology is one of the few modern sciences, where a researcher should be in a good physical form and have the courage and skills to work in harsh natural environments. All these features make up a romantic aureole for the science of volcanology. Heroic or, more precisely pseudo-heroic and athletic components of volcanology often attracts people that are far from science. The paper describes the most famous descents in the craters of erupting volcanoes that were conducted at the beginning of the XXth century — Stromboli (Italy) in 1914 and Mihara (Japan) in 1933. Also, examples of later real scientific works of Russian and foreign volcanologists are considered.

The history of the discovery of the law of heating effect of an electric current is considered. The contribution of two authors of the law— the English physicist James Joule and the Russian physicist Emilia Lenz — is compared. For both Joule and Lenz, the establishment of the law was preceded by a period of fascination with designing electric motors. It is emphasized that for Joule the discovery of the law of heating effect of an electric current was the beginning of experiments to determine the mechanical equivalent of heat. Joule’s experiments with induction currents were of great importance for understanding the law of heating effect of a current. Joule’s active participation in the work of scientific societies is noted.