Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky: biography, scientific achievements, interesting facts from life

Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky (1863-1945) is a famous Russian thinker and natural scientist throughout the world. He took an active part in the social life of the country. He is the main founder of the complexes of the basic Earth sciences. The scope of his study included such industries as:

• Biogeochemistry;
• geochemistry;
• Radio geology;
• Hydrogeology.

He is the creator of most scientific schools. Since 1917 he is an academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and since 1925 he is an academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

In 1919 he became the first resident of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, then - a professor at the Moscow Institute. However, he resigned. This gesture was a sign of protest against a bad attitude towards students.

The stated thoughts of Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky became the starting point for the development of the modern picture of the scientific world. The main idea of the scientist was a holistic scientific development of such a concept as the biosphere. According to him, this term defines the Earth's living Earth's envelope. Vernadsky Vladimir Ivanovich ("noosphere" is also an introduced term of the scientist) has studied a holistic complex in which the main role is played not only by the living shell, but also by the human factor. The teachings of such an intelligent and judicious professor on the relationship between people and the environment could not but have a significant impact on the scientific formation of the natural consciousness of every sane person.

Academician Vernadsky was an active supporter of Russian cosmism, which is based on the idea of the unity of the cosmos and of all mankind. Also, Vladimir Ivanovich was the leader of the party of constitutional democrats and the movement of Zemstvo liberals. He received the USSR State Prize in 1943.

Childhood and adolescence of the future academician

Vernadsky Vladimir Ivanovich (the biography confirms this) was born in St. Petersburg on March 12, 1863. Lived in a noble family. His father was an economist, and his mother was the first Russian woman to be a political economist. Parents of the baby were quite famous publicists and economists and never forgot about their origin.

According to family tradition, the Vernadsky family originates from the Lithuanian nobleman Verna, who went over to the side of the Cossacks and was executed by the Poles for supporting Bogdan Khmelnitsky.

In 1873, the hero of our narrative began his studies at the Kharkov Gymnasium. And in 1877 his family was forced to move to St. Petersburg. At this time, Vladimir entered the Lyceum and subsequently successfully graduated. In the city on the Neva, Vernadsky's father - Ivan Vasilievich - opened his publishing firm, which was called "Slavic Print", and also ran a bookstore on Nevsky Prospekt.

At the age of thirteen, the interests of the future academician are beginning to develop in nature, Slavs, and active social life.

The year 1881 was rich in events. Censorship closed the journal of his father, who at the same time also paralyzed. And Alexander II was killed. Vernadsky himself successfully passed the entrance exams and began his student life at St. Petersburg University.

Desire to become a scientist

Vernadsky, whose biography is as popular as his scientific achievements, began his studies at St. Petersburg University in 1881. He was lucky to get into Mendeleyev's lecture, which encouraged the students, and also strengthened their faith in themselves and taught them how to overcome difficulties adequately.

In 1882, the University created a scientific and literary society, in which Vernadsky had the honor to lead mineralogy. Professor Dokuchaev drew attention to the fact that the young student is learning to observe natural processes. A great experience for Vladimir was the expedition organized by the professor, which enabled the student to complete the first geological route in a few years.

In 1884, Vernadsky became an employee of the Mineralogical Cabinet of St. Petersburg University, taking advantage of the proposal of the same Dokuchaev. In the same year he takes possession of the estate. And two years later he marries a beautiful girl, Natalia Staritskaya. Soon they have a son, George, who in the future will become a professor at Yale University.

In March 1888, Vernadsky (a biography describes his life's path) goes on a business trip and visits Vienna, Naples and Munich. Thus begins his work in the laboratory of crystallography abroad.

And after a successful graduation from the university Vernadsky decides to recover on a trip to Europe to visit mineralogical museums. During the trip he took part in the fifth conference of the International Geological Meeting, which was held in England. Here he was admitted to the British Association of Sciences.

University of Moscow

Vladimir Vernadsky, when he arrived in Moscow, became a teacher at Moscow University, taking his father's place. He had an excellent chemical laboratory, as well as a mineralogical cabinet. Soon Vernadsky Vladimir Ivanovich (biology then still not so muchteresovala young scientist) began to give lectures in the medical and physical and mathematical faculties. The listeners spoke positively about the important and useful knowledge that the teacher gave.

Vernadsky described mineralogy as a scientific discipline, which makes it possible to study minerals as natural compounds of the earth's crust.

In 1902, the hero of our story defended his doctoral dissertation on crystallography and became an ordinary professor. At the same time he took part in the congress of geologists from all over the world, which took place in Moscow.

In 1892, the second child, the daughter of Nina, appeared in the Vernadsky family. At that time, the eldest son was already nine years old.

Soon the professor notes that he has "grown" a whole new science, which is separated from mineralogy. He told about its principles at the next congress of doctors and naturalists. Since then a new branch has appeared - geochemistry.

May 4, 1906 Vladimir Ivanovich became an adjunct in mineralogy in the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. Here he is elected the head of the Mineralogical Department of the Geological Museum. And in 1912 Vernadsky (his biography is a direct confirmation of that) becomes an academician.

Traveling around the world, the scientist collects and brings home the most diverse collection of stones. And in 1910 an Italian naturalist would call the mineral "Vernadskite" discovered by Vladimirov Ivanovich.

His professor at the Moscow University graduated in 1911. It was during this period that the government routed the cadet's nest. As a sign of protest, a third of teachers left the higher institution.

Life in St. Petersburg

In September 1911, a scientist Vladimir Vernadsky moved to St. Petersburg. One of the problems that the professor was interested in was the transformation of the Mineralogical Museum of the Academy of Sciences into a world-class institution. In 1911, the collection of the museum received a record number of collections of minerals - 85. Among them were stones of unearthly origin (meteorites). The exhibits were found not only in Russia, but also imported from Madagascar, Italy and Norway. Thanks to new collections, the Petersburg Museum has become one of the best in the whole world. In 1914, as a result of the increase in staff, the Mineralogical and Geological Museum was formed. Vernadsky becomes its director.

During his stay in St. Petersburg, the scientist tries to create the Lomonosov Institute, which was to consist of several departments: chemical, physical and mineralogical. But, unfortunately, the Russian government did not want to allocate finances for it.

Since the First World War began, loans for radium work in Russia began to decline significantly, besides, foreign relations with the luminaries of science rapidly broke off. Academician Vernadsky came up with a committee that would study the natural productive forces of Russia. The council, which consisted of fifty-six people, was headed by the scientist himself. And at this time Vladimir Ivanovich began to understand how the entire scientific and state life is being built. Despite the fact that everything in Russia was getting worse, the commission, on the contrary, was expanding. And already in 1916 he was able to organize fourteen scientific expeditions in different regions of the country. In the same period, Academician Vernadsky was able to lay the foundations of a completely new science - biogeochemistry, which was to study not only the environment, but also the nature of the person himself.

The role of Vernadsky in the development of Ukrainian science

In 1918 the house of Vernadsky, built in Poltava, was defeated by the Bolsheviks. Even in spite of the fact that Germans came to Ukraine, the scientist was able to organize several geological excursions, as well as to make a presentation on the topic "Living matter".

After the power was changed, and Hetman Skoropadsky began to rule, it was decided to organize the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. This important task was entrusted to Vernadsky. The scientist believed that the best solution would be to take the example of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Such an institution should contribute to the development of the material and spiritual culture of the people, as well as to increase the productive forces. Vernadsky, whose biography is the confirmation of many events that took place then in Ukraine, agreed to take up such an important matter, but on condition that he does not become a citizen of Ukraine.

In 1919, the UAS was opened, as well as a scientific library. At the same time, the scientist worked on the opening of several universities in Ukraine. However, even this Vernadsky was not enough. He decides to conduct experiments with living matter. And one of these experiments gave a very interesting and important result. But with the advent of the Bolsheviks, it is dangerous to be in Kiev, so Vladimir Ivanovich moves to a biological station in Staroselie. Unforeseen danger forces him to go to the Crimea, where his daughter and wife were waiting for him.

Science and Philosophy

Vladimir Vernadsky believed that philosophy and science are two completely different ways of knowing a person by the world. They differ in the object of study. Philosophy has no boundaries and reflects on everything. And science, on the contrary, has a limit - the real world. But at the same time, both concepts are inseparable. Philosophy is a kind of "nutritious" environment for science. Scientists have been told that life is just the same eternal part of the universe as energy or matter.

In the last years of his life, Vladimir Ivanovich expressed the philosophical idea of the development of the domain of life in the realm of reason, that is, the biosphere into the noosphere. He believed that the human mind is the guiding force of evolution, and therefore the spontaneous processes are replaced by the conscious.

Geochemistry and the biosphere

In 1924, Vladimir Vernadsky published a book called Geochemistry. The composition was written in French and released in Paris. And only in three years "Essays of geochemistry" appeared in Russian.

In this work, the scientist generalizes practical and theoretical information that relates to the atoms of the earth's crust, and also studies the natural composition of the geosphere. In this same work, the concept of "living matter" was given-a collection of organisms that can be studied in exactly the same way as any other substance: describe their weight, chemical composition, and energy. He defined geochemistry as a science that studies the chemical composition and laws of the distribution of chemical elements on the Earth. Geochemical processes can cover all the shells. The most grandiose process is the separation of substances in the process of hardening or cooling. But the source of all geochemical processes is the energy of the Sun, gravity and heat.

Using the laws of distribution of chemical elements, Russian scientists develop geochemical predictions, as well as ways of searching for minerals.

Vernadsky made the inference that any manifestation of life can exist only in the form of the biosphere - a huge system of the "realm of the living." In 1926 the professor published the book "Biosphere", in which he laid out all the basics of his teaching. The publication turned out to be small, written in a simple creative language. Lured a lot of readers.

Vernadsky formulated the biogeochemical concept of the biosphere. In it, this concept was considered as a living substance, consisting of many chemical elements that are in all living organisms in the aggregate.

Biogeochemistry

Biogeochemistry is a science that studies the composition, structure, essence of living matter. The scientist has identified several important principles that show the model of the world.

What did Vladimir Vernadsky talk about?

The biosphere - the living shell of the Earth - never returns to its former state, so it changes all the time. But the living matter has a permanent geochemical influence on the surrounding world.

The Earth's atmosphere is a biogenic formation, since the struggle for oxygen in the whole world is much more important than fights for food.

The most powerful and diverse living force on Earth is the bacterial one discovered by Levenguk.

In 1943, the scientist was awarded the Order and the Stalin Prize. The first half of the monetary reward the professor gave to the Defense Fund of the Motherland, and the second spent on acquiring geological collections for the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Vernadsky's doctrine of the biosphere and noosphere

The noosphere is the integral geological envelope of the Earth, which is formed as a result of the cultural and technical activities of mankind, as well as natural phenomena and processes. The most important postulate of the concept was the role of conscious influence of people on the environment.

Vernadsky's doctrine of the biosphere and the noosphere regards the emergence of consciousness as a completely logical result of evolution. Also, the professor was able to predict the expansion of the boundaries of the noosphere, implying the man's entry into space. According to Vernadsky, the basis of the noosphere is the harmony of natural beauty and man. Therefore, beings endowed with reason must take care of this harmony and not destroy it.

The starting point for the appearance of the noosphere is the emergence of the first tools of labor and fire in the life of man - so he had an advantage over the animal and vegetable world, active processes of creating cultivated plants and taming animals began. And now the person begins to act not as an intelligent being, but as a creator.

But the science that studies the harmful effects of a human species on the environment appeared after Vernadsky's death and was called ecology. But this science does not study the geological activity of people and its consequences.

Contribution to science

Vladimir Ivanovich made many important discoveries. From 1888 to 1897, the scientist developed the concept of silicates, defined the classification of siliceous compounds, and introduced the concept of a kaolin core.

In the years 1890-1911. Became the founder of genetic mineralogy, establishing special connections between the method of crystallization of the mineral, as well as its composition and genesis of formation.

Russian scientists helped Vernadsky systematize and structure the knowledge gained in the field of geochemistry. The scientist for the first time conducted holistic studies not only of the Earth's atmosphere, but also of the lithosphere and hydrosphere. In 1907 he initiated the radio geology.

In 1916-1940 he defined the basic principles of biogeochemistry, and also became the author of the doctrine of the biosphere and its evolution. Vernadsky Vladimir Ivanovich, whose discoveries struck the whole world, was able to study the quantitative content of the elements of a living body, as well as the geochemical functions that they perform. He introduced the concept of the transition of the biosphere to the noosphere.

A few words about the biosphere

The structure of the biosphere, according to calculations by Vladimir Ivanovich, was made up of seven main types of matter:

1. Scattered atoms.
2. Substances originating from the living.
3. Elements of cosmic origin.
4. Substances formed outside of life.
5. Elements of radioactive decay.
6. Biosteal.
7. Living things.

What did Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky, knows every self-respecting person. He believed that any living matter can develop only in real space, for which a certain structure is characteristic. The chemical composition of living matter corresponds to a certain space, so the more substances, the more such spaces.

But the transition of the biosphere to the noosphere was accompanied by several factors:

1. Human settlement is reasonable for the entire surface of the planet Earth, as well as its victory and predominance over other living beings.
2. Creation of a unified information system for all mankind.
3. The discovery of new sources of energy (especially such as nuclear). After such progress, mankind received a very important and powerful geological force.
4. Man's ability to control the broad masses of the people.
5. The growth of the number of people who are engaged in science. This factor also gives humanity new geological power.

Vladimir Vernadsky, whose contribution to biology is simply invaluable, was an optimist and believed that the irreversible development of scientific knowledge is the only essential proof of the existing progress.

Conclusion

Prospect Vernadsky - the longest street in Moscow, which leads to the south-west of the capital. Its origin takes near the Institute of Geochemistry, the founder of which was a scientist, and ends with the Academy of the General Staff. Thus, it symbolizes Vernadsky's contribution to science, which is displayed in the defense of the country. On this prospect, as the scientist dreamed, there are several research institutes and training universities.

In the breadth of the scientific horizon and the diversity of scientific discoveries, Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky stands, perhaps, apart from other great natural scientists of our time. In many respects for his achievements he thanked his teachers. He often fought for the lives of his friends and students, who were victims of the punitive system. Thanks to a bright mind and outstanding abilities, together with other scientists he was able to create strong scientific institutes of world significance.

The life of this man broke off suddenly.

On December 25, 1944, Vladimir Ivanovich asked his wife to bring coffee. And while she went to the kitchen, the scientist had a cerebral hemorrhage. A similar misfortune befell his father, and the son was very afraid to die the same death. After the incident, the scientist lived another thirteen days, never regaining consciousness. Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky died on January 6, 1945.