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The article reports on the 2011 budget cuts of Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR), a non-profit organization which is the main source of a science research fund in Russia that is managed by the Russian ministry of research.

The author reflects on the move of Russian leaders to transform their old-line, industrial society into a modern, knowledge-based economy driven by innovative science and technology. The author states that Russian science is already lagging behind other nations due to the 2.6% research papers published between 2004 and 2008. The author infers the move of the scientists to sign an open letter to President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on the imminent collapse of its science.

The article focuses on souring relations between Russia and Western countries and how Russian President Vladimir Putin's isolationism and anti-Western rhetoric may negatively impact Russian science. It states Russian research institutes and universities have started to instruct scientists to gain permission from the Federal Security Services prior to submitting papers or giving talks at scientific conferences. It mentions concerns of foreign-funded foundations they could be placed on a list of undesirable organizations.

Provides background and analysis for a paper that attempts to explain what happened to the fragment of the object that exploded over Tunguska, Siberia in 1908. The paper by V.V. Svetsov found in the October 24, 1996 issue of `Nature'; The history of scientific research of the Tunguska explosion; The controversy between those who believe the object was a comet and those who believe it was an asteroid.

The article focuses on an article published in a 2015 issue of "Environmental Research Letters" examining snow measurements from 820 locations across Russia which revealed more moisture was released into the air from the Barents and Kara seas when they were not covered with ice, resulting in higher snowfall levels.

Thermokarst lakes formed across vast regions of Siberia and Alaska during the last deglaciation and are thought to be a net source of atmospheric methane and carbon dioxide during the Holocene epoch. However, the same thermokarst lakes can also sequester carbon, and it remains uncertain whether carbon uptake by thermokarst lakes can offset their greenhouse gas emissions. Here we use field observations of Siberian permafrost exposures, radiocarbon dating and spatial analyses to quantify Holocene carbon stocks and fluxes in lake sediments overlying thawed Pleistocene-aged permafrost. We find that carbon accumulation in deep thermokarst-lake sediments since the last deglaciation is about 1.6 times larger than the mass of Pleistocene-aged permafrost carbon released as greenhouse gases when the lakes first formed. Although methane and carbon dioxide emissions following thaw lead to immediate radiative warming, carbon uptake in peat-rich sediments occurs over millennial timescales. We assess thermokarst-lake carbon feedbacks to climate with an atmospheric perturbation model and find that thermokarst basins switched from a net radiative warming to a net cooling climate effect about 5,000 years ago. High rates of Holocene carbon accumulation in 20 lake sediments (47 ± 10 grams of carbon per square metre per year; mean ± standard error) were driven by thermokarst erosion and deposition of terrestrial organic matter, by nutrient release from thawing permafrost that stimulated lake productivity and by slow decomposition in cold, anoxic lake bottoms. When lakes eventually drained, permafrost formation rapidly sequestered sediment carbon. Our estimate of about 160 petagrams of Holocene organic carbon in deep lake basins of Siberia and Alaska increases the circumpolar peat carbon pool estimate for permafrost regions by over 50 per cent (ref. 6). The carbon in perennially frozen drained lake sediments may become vulnerable to mineralization as permafrost disappears, potentially negating the climate stabilization provided by thermokarst lakes during the late Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The future trajectory of greenhouse gas concentrations depends on interactions between climate and the biogeosphere. Thawing of Arctic permafrost could release significant amounts of carbon into the atmosphere in this century. Ancient Ice Complex deposits outcropping along the ?7,000-kilometre-long coastline of the East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS), and associated shallow subsea permafrost, are two large pools of permafrost carbon, yet their vulnerabilities towards thawing and decomposition are largely unknown. Recent Arctic warming is stronger than has been predicted by several degrees, and is particularly pronounced over the coastal ESAS region. There is thus a pressing need to improve our understanding of the links between permafrost carbon and climate in this relatively inaccessible region. Here we show that extensive release of carbon from these Ice Complex deposits dominates (57?±?2 per cent) the sedimentary carbon budget of the ESAS, the world's largest continental shelf, overwhelming the marine and topsoil terrestrial components. Inverse modelling of the dual-carbon isotope composition of organic carbon accumulating in ESAS surface sediments, using Monte Carlo simulations to account for uncertainties, suggests that 44?±?10 teragrams of old carbon is activated annually from Ice Complex permafrost, an order of magnitude more than has been suggested by previous studies. We estimate that about two-thirds (66?±?16 per cent) of this old carbon escapes to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, with the remainder being re-buried in shelf sediments. Thermal collapse and erosion of these carbon-rich Pleistocene coastline and seafloor deposits may accelerate with Arctic amplification of climate warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on the decline in scientific output of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It is viewed that the academy is in urgent need of reforms and need to reinvent itself as a strong institution. It is stated that the academy's neglect to adopt quality standards and poor funding are responsible for its decline. It is suggested that Russia should adopt a French-like system wherein research is supported under contracts between the government and a network of research institutes.

Using DNA extracted from a finger bone found in Denisova Cave in southern Siberia, we have sequenced the genome of an archaic hominin to about 1.9-fold coverage. This individual is from a group that shares a common origin with Neanderthals. This population was not involved in the putative gene flow from Neanderthals into Eurasians; however, the data suggest that it contributed 4-6% of its genetic material to the genomes of present-day Melanesians. We designate this hominin population 'Denisovans' and suggest that it may have been widespread in Asia during the Late Pleistocene epoch. A tooth found in Denisova Cave carries a mitochondrial genome highly similar to that of the finger bone. This tooth shares no derived morphological features with Neanderthals or modern humans, further indicating that Denisovans have an evolutionary history distinct from Neanderthals and modern humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continental rift zones are long, narrow tectonic depressions in the Earth’s surface where the entire lithosphere has been modified in extension. Rifting can eventually lead to rupture of the continental lithosphere and creation of new oceanic lithosphere or, alternatively, lead to formation of wide sedimentary basins around failed rift zones. Conventional models of rift zones include three characteristic features: surface manifestation as an elongated topographic trough, Moho shallowing due to crustal thinning, and reduced seismic velocity in the uppermost mantle due to decompression melting or heating from the Earth’s interior. Here we demonstrate that only the surface manifestation is observed at the Baikal rift zone, whereas the crustal and mantle characteristics can be ruled out by a new seismic profile across southern Lake Baikal in Siberia. Instead we observe a localized zone in the lower crust which has exceptionally high seismic velocity and is highly reflective. We suggest that the expected Moho uplift was compensated by magmatic intrusion into the lower crust, producing the observed high-velocity zone. This finding demonstrates a previously unknown role for magmatism in rifting processes with significant implications for estimation of stretching factors and modelling of sedimentary basins around failed rift structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temporal variations of the frictional resistance on subduction-zone plate boundary faults associated with the stick–slip cycle of large interplate earthquakes are thought to modulate the stress regime and earthquake activity within the subducting oceanic plate. Here we report on two great earthquakes that occurred near the Kuril islands, which shed light on this process and demonstrate the enhanced seismic hazard accompanying triggered faulting. On 15 November 2006, an event of moment magnitude 8.3 ruptured the shallow-dipping plate boundary along which the Pacific plate descends beneath the central Kuril arc. The thrust ruptured a seismic gap that previously had uncertain seismogenic potential, although the earlier occurrence of outer-rise compressional events had suggested the presence of frictional resistance. Within minutes of this large underthrusting event, intraplate extensional earthquakes commenced in the outer rise region seaward of the Kuril trench, and on 13 January 2007, an event of moment magnitude 8.1 ruptured a normal fault extending through the upper portion of the Pacific plate, producing one of the largest recorded shallow extensional earthquakes. This energetic earthquake sequence demonstrates the stress transfer process within the subducting lithosphere, and the distinct rupture characteristics of these great earthquakes illuminate differences in seismogenic properties and seismic hazard of such interplate and intraplate faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses some countries' race on claiming sea floor areas. This race was led by Russia when it planted a Russian flag on the sea floor in North Pole in August 2007, as their way of claiming the riches of Arctic Ocean. Along with Denmark and Canada, Russia is also interested in claiming the Lomonosov ridge, a submerged rise about 1,800 kilometers long which runs from offshore Russia to offshore Greenland. A United Nations body will decide the validity of these countries' claims, based on the 1982 UN Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Some countries are also competing for the Bay of Biscay off France and Spain as well as the sea floor off New Zealand. Moreover, the author explains the role that geophysicists and geologists will play in this claiming process.

Large uncertainties in the budget of atmospheric methane, an important greenhouse gas, limit the accuracy of climate change projections. Thaw lakes in North Siberia are known to emit methane, but the magnitude of these emissions remains uncertain because most methane is released through ebullition (bubbling), which is spatially and temporally variable. Here we report a new method of measuring ebullition and use it to quantify methane emissions from two thaw lakes in North Siberia. We show that ebullition accounts for 95 per cent of methane emissions from these lakes, and that methane flux from thaw lakes in our study region may be five times higher than previously estimated. Extrapolation of these fluxes indicates that thaw lakes in North Siberia emit 3.8 teragrams of methane per year, which increases present estimates of methane emissions from northern wetlands (< 6–40 teragrams per year; refs 1, 2, 4–6) by between 10 and 63 per cent. We find that thawing permafrost along lake margins accounts for most of the methane released from the lakes, and estimate that an expansion of thaw lakes between 1974 and 2000, which was concurrent with regional warming, increased methane emissions in our study region by 58 per cent. Furthermore, the Pleistocene age (35,260–42,900 years) of methane emitted from hotspots along thawing lake margins indicates that this positive feedback to climate warming has led to the release of old carbon stocks previously stored in permafrost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports that Russian researcher Igor Sutyagin and two of his colleagues were detained on October 27, 1999 by the Russian Federal Security Service. Searching of Sutyagin's apartment in Obninsk, Russia; Removal of papers and computers; Work nature of Sutyagin and colleague Joshua Handler.

Reports that over 200 scientists picketed government buildings in Moscow, Russia in July 1997 demanding increased funding for Russian science. Concern that budget cuts may spell job losses for scientists.

The article offers information on the blast which happened in Tunguska, Russia. It states that the approximate site of the blast's epicenter is now marked by a totem pole that researchers have offered to Agdy, the god of thunder in local mythology. It is also posed that days after the explosion, A. V. Voznesenskij started collecting accounts of the event. Among those who offered their account of the event to Voznesenskij is G. K. Kulesh, who said that a meteorite has fallen in the site. The varying positions of scientists concerning this event were also mentioned.

Morphological traits typical of Neanderthals began to appear in European hominids at least 400,000 years ago and about 150,000 years ago in western Asia. After their initial appearance, such traits increased in frequency and the extent to which they are expressed until they disappeared shortly after 30,000 years ago. However, because most fossil hominid remains are fragmentary, it can be difficult or impossible to determine unambiguously whether a fossil is of Neanderthal origin. This limits the ability to determine when and where Neanderthals lived. To determine how far to the east Neanderthals ranged, we determined mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences from hominid remains found in Uzbekistan and in the Altai region of southern Siberia. Here we show that the DNA sequences from these fossils fall within the European Neanderthal mtDNA variation. Thus, the geographic range of Neanderthals is likely to have extended at least 2,000 km further to the east than commonly assumed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the need of new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) between the U.S. and Russia due to changing political circumstances to limit deployed strategic warheads as of June 2014.

The author reflects on meteor strike at the town of Chelyabinsk in the Russian Ural Mountains on February 15, 2013. The author states that the meteor had briefly blinded commuters as well as shattered thousands of windows with a series of ear-splitting explosions. The author says that more than a dozen monitoring stations worldwide captured the ultralow-frequency infrasound signal of the meteorite as it broke up in the atmosphere.

A letter to the editor is presented concerning the use of fossil fuels for 91 percent of Russia's energy need, commenting Russia has taken some small steps to protect natural resources and control pollution, and talks about the need for more investment in renewable energy by Russia to help protect its natural environment.

A letter to the editor is presented related to the need to improve financial condition of university professors in Russia for improving their scientific performance.

Features the town of Chernogolovka, the home to the Institute of Microelectronics Technology (IMT), a research institute . Significance of the close proximity of the town to Moscow; Statement of Sergey Dubonos, who works at the IMT; Other function of the IMT.

Reports on the collapse of the Kyoto Protocol, the international treaty on preventing climate change. Planned reduction of emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases; Reasons why Russia is rejecting the treaty; Effects of global warming on living systems; Examples of extreme weather conditions in 2003.

The discovery in 1939 of a reindeer mutant characterized by a luminescent snout (and popularly known as 'red-nosed') is a neglected chapter in the history of selective breeding. The mutation initially resulted in the young fawn (nicknamed Rudolph) being ostracized, in much the same manner as documented by H. Christian Andersen in his classic account of the so-called 'ugly duckling'. However, the timely intervention of S. Claus, who breeds reindeer in Russia's Chukotka peninsula, ensured the persistence of the new trait, which has proved navigationally beneficial on a world-wide basis. Here I show that the precise mechanism for the luminescence in the reindeer Rangifer tarandus rubens is identical to that which causes the glow in railroad worms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Looks at a mood of optimism found in many parts of Russia's scientific community as of June 5,1997. The importance of the role of the Russian Academy of Sciences; The efforts of the European organization INTAS; Tensions created by the early reforms of Boris Yeltsin.