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编号 12 (2020)
Recombination and Sexual Selection
摘要
Differences in recombination between males and females are well-known. There are many theories about the origin and evolution of these differences. In this article, we consider some of these theories and try to test one of them, the hypothesis of sexual selection. We examine recombination rate in the barn swallow and pale martin. These two swallow species are quite closely related and similar in lifestyle, but differ in sexual dimorphism. It is well-pronounced in the barn swallow, while it is almost impossible to distinguish males from females in the pale martin. The general level of recombination in female barn swallows is 13.5% higher than in males, while such sex differences are insignificant in the pale martin. It is likely that in the common ancestor of these two swallow species, males and females were similar both in morphology and in the recombination level. Then, sexual selection in barn swallows resulted in the sexual dimorphism in both these characters. However, the reason why the recombination increased in females rather than decreased in males is puzzling. Perhaps, it can be explained by the so-called runaway sexual selection.
Priroda. 2020;(12):3-10
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Mixites and petersites: New Data on the Structure of Agardite-(Ce)
摘要
Arsenates and phosphates are rare although challenging minerals of the mixite group. Their general formula is ACu6(TO4)3–x(TO3OH)x(OH)6·3H2O, where A = REE, Ca, Pb, Bi3+, Al; T = As5+, P5+; x = 0–1, hexagonal cell parameters a ≈ 13.5 Å, c ≈ 6 Å, V ≈ 900 Å3, and space group P63/m or P63. There are two subgroups in accordance with chemical composition in T-sites: mixite (T = As) and petersite (T = P). Agardit-(Ce) CeCu6(AsO4)3(OH)6·3H2O from Clara Mine, Schwarzwald, Germany, has been investigated. Unit-cell parameters of agaradite-(Ce) are: a = 13.598(6) Å, c = 5.954(3) Å; V = 953.5(2) Å3; space group P63/m. The structure has been specified and refined to final R = 3.87% for 786 I > 3σ(I). For the first time in the structure of minerals of mixite group hydrogen atoms have been localized and hydrogen bonding has been characterized.
Priroda. 2020;(12):11-18
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«Oh, how many wonderful discoveries we have…» or the Role of Chance in Paleontology
摘要
The article presents a description of a unique preserved belemnite residue — a fairly large fragment of a phragmocone preserved in the lateral section, partially destroyed in the front part, and a fragment of a rostrum. The phragmocone and the rock in its voids are partially pyritized. However pyritization process did not affect the undestroyed, not deformed part of the phragmocone, in which the chambers are filled with heterogeneous calcite. The fragments of the skeleton with the preserved primary carbonate composition alternate with completely pyritized fragments of the septa and the walls of the phragmocone. The complete absence of pyrite in the host rock and its presence inside the phragmocone indicates that its occurrence resulted from a biologically induced process. Most likely, it was formed in the sediments at the early stages of diagenetic redistribution of matter under reducing geochemical conditions below the sediment-surface water interface at the sites of organic matter decomposition in the phragmocone. The fossilization process, as well as the dimensions of the most important elements of the belemnite skeleton and the total length of its body, which was at least 110 cm, have been reconstructed.
Priroda. 2020;(12):19-26
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Tracing the Karangat Sea
摘要
The Karangat Sea is an ancient basin located within the Azov–Black Sea region during the last interglacial epoch (about 130–90 thousand years ago). Its level was 5–10 m higher than the current one, and the salinity was close to the Mediterranean one (about 28–30‰). Traces of its existence can be observed in the natural coastal outcrops of Bulgaria, Eastern Crimea, Taman, the Caucasus, Turkey, and even in the sediments of the western and central parts of the Manych depression, where Karangat waters formed a deep ingressive bay. There is still no common opinion on the number of the Karangat regression stages, its age and rates of development. Until recently, in geography there was no reliable method of absolute dating that would allow determining the age of deposits older than 40 thousand years. Only the introduction of a new approach — the method of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) — made possible a fairly accurate dating of deposits up to 250–500 thousand years old. In order to clear up the controversial issues in the history of the region, in August 2020, researchers from the Lomonosov Moscow State University and the Institute of Geography (RAS) organized an expedition to the coasts of the Kerch Strait and the southern coast of Crimea.
Priroda. 2020;(12):27-34
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S.S.Kutorga — Palaeontologist and Geologist
摘要
The article provides basic biographical information about S.S.Kutorga, one of the first Russian paleontologists. Having received a classical University education, Kutorga became a brilliant researcher. The range of his scientific interests covered a wide variety of areas of paleontology, geology, zoology, etc. He was the first who began to read lectures on paleontology. In 1842, Kutorga was elected to the position of the Director of the Saint-Petersburg Mineralogical Society and founded the periodical of the Mineralogical Society “Verhandlungen der Russisch-Kaiserlichen Mineralogischen Gesellschaft zu St.-Petersburg”. A huge and hard work was done by Kutorga to compile a geological map of the Saint-Petersburg province on a scale of 10 versts in inch, for which he received the highest award of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society — the Constantine Medal (1852). His activities as a censor of the St. Petersburg Censorship Committee also should be mentioned — he reviewed a lot of special and fiction literature. The collections studied by Kutorga are housed in the Paleontological and Stratigraphic Museum of Saint-Petersburg State University.
Priroda. 2020;(12):35-42
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2020 Nobel Prize Laureates in Physics: Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez
摘要
For the second year in a row, the most prestigious Nobel Prize in physics has been awarded for theoretical research in gravity and cosmology and high-class astronomical observations. In 2019 it was awarded to J.Peebles for theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology and to astronomers M.Mayor and D.Queloz for the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star. In 2020 the Prize is awarded to mathematician R.Penrose “for the discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity” and to the astronomers R.Genzel and A.Ghez “for the discovery of a super-massive compact object at the center of our galaxy”.
Priroda. 2020;(12):43-56
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2020 Nobel Prize Laureates in Chemistry: Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A.Doudna
摘要
In 2020, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to a French professor Emmanuelle Charpentier and an American biochemist Jennifer Doudna “for the development of a method for genome editing”, namely, for the invention of genetic scissors, CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Development of this technology clearly demonstrates the importance of fundamental research. Currently, CRISPR-Cas systems and related technologies are actively used as tools for editing genomes of animals and plants, which have provided significant breakthroughs in medicine and agriculture.
Priroda. 2020;(12):57-66
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2020 Nobel Prize Laureates In Physiology or Medicine: Harvey J.Alter, Michael Houghton, and Charles M.Rice
摘要
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2020 was awarded jointly to three scientists: Harvey J.Alter, Michael Houghton, and Charles M.Rice “for the discovery of Hepatitis C virus”. This decision highlighted the importance of the discovery and research of a dangerous and widespread human pathogen, which led to the creation of highly effective drugs.
Priroda. 2020;(12):67-71
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