No 12 (2021)

The earliest orbital observations have shown that the Moon has global asymmetry between its nearside and farside. The main differences are in topography, crustal thickness, and distribution of mare and highland areas. These asymmetries are thought to be a result of very early geological processes caused either by internal inhomogeneity and related thermochemical processes or by giant impact event(s). The evidence of both is present on the Moon surface. A joint analysis of the available data on the composition of lunar samples and meteorites and global geochemical and mineralogical mapping confirmed the existence of differences in the composition of the Moon’s nearside and farside. However, it is still impossible to unambiguously conclude about the origin of global asymmetry.

Reconstructing a global chronicle of volcanic eruptions is among the top priorities of volcanology. The history of active volcanoes of the Kuril Ridge is still poorly studied and for most of the volcanoes is limited to rare, fragmentary information about their eruptions during the historical period (the last 200–250 years). The islands of Kunashir and Iturup (South Kurils) and Paramushir (North Kurils) currently have a permanent civilian population, and almost all the settlements are located in the volcanic hazard zones of varying degrees. In the summer of 2021, within the framework of the project “Studying volcanic, seismic, and tsunami hazard and evaluation of geothermal resources for developing areas of the Kuril Islands” of the Russian Science Foundation, we carried out special tephrostratigraphy and tephrochronology research, aimed for studying the frequency and intensity of Holocene ash (tephra) fallout in the central part of Iturup.

The data on the first finding of the ichnogenus Asteriacites in the Eocene deposits of the Mountainous Crimea is presented. It is concluded that the studied fossil is a trace of a starfish activity and belongs to the ethological group of traces of lying, immobility or rest.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021 was awarded to American scientists David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian “for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch”. These receptors are actually cationic Ca2+-permeable channels that detect thermal or mechanical disturbances of the cell membrane and convert them into changes in membrane potential and intracellular Ca2+ concentration. The article discusses the retrospective aspects of the research and its key results, which have been so highly praised by the Nobel Committee.

The task of the organized gas group, a part of the “Dalvostuglerazvedka” Group, was to study the gas content of coal deposits and to determine zones of the predominance of various gases — air, carbon dioxide, methane, etc. These studies are necessary to predict the explosion hazard and other threats during mining operations and can provide recommendations for reducing the number of accidents associated with gases in underground mines and nearby settlements.