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| Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky |
Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky is a renowned Russian crystallographer,
mineralogist, geochemist and geologist. He is best known today for his
research on the noosphere and the way it affects the biosphere. He was
also responsible for laying out the foundation for the study of
geochemistry.
Early Life and Education
Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky was born on March 12, 1863 in Saint
Petersburg, Russia. Coming from a line of Ukrainian Cossacks, his father
was a professor in Kiev at the Moscow University, teaching political
economy before deciding to move to Saint Petersburg. He was also the
editor of the journal entitled “Economic Index”. His mother, on the
other hand, was a noblewoman and the daughter of a general and was born
and raised in Russia. His childhood was spent in Ukraine and he studied
in Kharkov for a brief period of time. When they moved to Saint
Petersburg, he continued his studies at the Saint Petersburg Grammar
School. This is where he started developing an interest in science,
specifically in natural sciences.
Vernadksy acknowledged being both a Ukrainian and a Russian and even
learned a little of the Ukrainian language despite having lived longer
in Russia. He did not believe in the independence that Ukraine had
however, and remained loyal to the Russian state.
In 1885, Vernadsky earned his degree from Saint Petersburg
University’s Department of Natural, Physical and Mathematical Faculty.
He chose to specialize in mineralogy because he found great potential
for more discoveries in this field. He trained under the famous V.V.
Dokuchaev, who was known as the founder of soil science.
He pondered on the topic he was going to pursue for his doctorate
study for some time. While he was doing this, he travelled to Naples and
studied under Scacchi, a crystallographer. Scacchi’s senility hindered
Vernadsky from gaining valuable knowledge, so he decided to go to
Germany instead to train under Paul Groth. Groth had developed a piece
of equipment that helped analyze the thermal, optical, electrical and
magnetic properties of crystals and Vernadsky enjoyed learning using
modern machinery. He was also able to use the physics lab of Professor
Zonke, another expert who was working on crystallization. He defended
his Doctorate study in 1885 and became a fellow in research at the
mineralogy laboratory.
Notable Contributions
Vladimir Vernadsky presented his report on the “Paragenesis of
Chemical Elements in the Earth’s Crust” in front of the 12th Congress of
Medics and Natural Scientists. This study laid the foundation for what
was later known as geochemistry. He pushed researchers to try using
radioactive phenomenon in studying the history of chemical elements and
in seeing the genetic relationships between these elements.
In 1909, Vernadsky established the Radium Commission. This was caused
by his theory that radioactive substances are, in fact, important
sources of energy. This means that they can also be used in creating a
new set of chemical elements. He started collecting rock samples and
mapped where deposits of radioactive substances can be found in great
detail. After a year, the first geochemical laboratory was opened in
Saint Petesrburg.
Vernadsky was the first person to make the concept of the noosphere
more familiar. He also contributed to the idea of the biosphere as it is
known today although it was Eduard Suess, an Austrian geologist whom
Verdansky got the chance of meeting in 1911, who coined the term.
Basically, Vernadsky reasons that there is a certain succession by
which the earth develops. Geosphere or inanimate matter comes first,
followed by the biosphere or biological life. Then comes noosphere which
comprises human consciousness and mental activity. Each of these relate
to each other, with the emergence of biological life transforming the
geosphere and the emergence of human consciousness transforming
biological life. Both biological life and human cognition are seen as
having a large impact on the evolution of the earth, a concept that is
somehow parallel to Darwin’s theory of natural selection. But as with
any discovery of the same nature, gaining acceptance for his concept was
hard to achieve, especially in the West.
Other Contributions and Achievements
Vernadsky was among the first scientists who realized that the
presence of nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide is a direct product of
biological processes. He also published some of his research in the
1920’s, stating that living organisms also have a big impact on how the
planet evolves. This made him one of the pioneers that shaped
environmental sciences.
In 1912, he was elected as an ordinary academician in the Saint
Petersburg Academy of Science. In 1914, he headed the Museum of
Mineralogy and Geology. He was among those who coordinated in developing
the metal mining industry. In 1917, he started visualizing a new branch
of science called biogeochemistry. He envisioned this branch of science
to deal with living matter as an integral part of the biosphere.
Vernadsky founded the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences in 1918 and
became its first president. He also founded the National Library of the
Ukrainian State and contributed greatly by sharing his knowledge to the
Tavrida University in Crimea. Because of his great contribution, a main
avenue in Tavrida National University was named after him. An avenue in
Moscow also bears his name.
He moved to Simpheropol upon leaving Kiev and there worked as a
mineralogy professor. He also became the head of Simperopol University
until his dismissal in 1921 because of the unstable political situation.
Among Vernadsky’s notable published works is Geochemistry which was
published in 1924 and released in Russia in 1927 as Essays on
Geochemistry. He also worked with Marie Curie and published two of their
works together, the Living Matter in Biosphere and Human Autotrophy.
Vladimir Vernadsky was one of the advisers for the Soviet atomic bomb
project. He was among those who fought hard to make their voices heard,
discussing how atomic energy can be exploited and how further research
should be done about nuclear fission at his Radium Institute. However,
Vernadsky died on January 6, 1945 even before his proposals for further
research projects were pursued.
