Февраль 2026 г.

Российская наука и мир (по материалам зарубежной электронной прессы)

CONTENTS / ОГЛАВЛЕНИЕ


• Russian mathematician finds new approach to 190-year-old "eternal" math problem
• Asia’s tigers benefit when scientists collaborate beyond borders
• Space archaeologists may have found a long-lost Soviet lander on the moon
• Le plus grand hibou du monde est menacé de disparaître
• Nearly 20,000 silver coins discovered during restoration of historic merchant house in Moscow
• Poetic legacy of Alisher Navoi and Babur celebrated on siberian soil
• Antarctic magnetic anomaly is a trace of an ancient continental collision, scientists find
• Ancient DNA reveals 7,700-year-old "north-south corridor" linking Lake Baikal and northern China
• Archaeologists uncover ancient fishing gear in Siberia
• 2D memristors could help solve AI's energy problem
• Archaeologists confirm birch bark writing continued in medieval Novgorod after Moscow annexation
• This 2500-year-old siberian mummy underwent a shocking jaw surgery
• Largest oil field discovered on Yamal in 30 years

Математик из НИУ ВШЭ Илья Ремизов вывел универсальную формулу для решения дифференциальных уравнений второго порядка, которые последние 190 лет считались нерешаемыми аналитическим путем.

A Russian mathematician has developed a new method for analyzing a class of equations that underpin models in physics and economics and are considered "eternal" as they have challenged researchers for nearly two centuries.
Ivan Remizov, a senior researcher at Higher School of Economics, unveiled the approach in a study published in the Vladikavkaz Mathematical Journal, according to the university and Russian news agency TASS.
Second-order differential equations are a mathematical workhorse, used to model how systems change over time. They describe everything from the motion of a swinging pendulum to signals in power grids and other dynamic processes studied in physics and economics.
For nearly two centuries, mathematicians have known that there is no universal closed-form formula, similar to the quadratic formula, that can solve these equations when their coefficients vary. Instead, researchers have relied on numerical simulations or special-case methods, accepting that a general analytic expression was out of reach.
Remizov's work does not overturn that classical limitation. Rather, it offers a new way to represent solutions using modern tools from operator theory.
His method is based on Chernoff approximation theory, which breaks a complex, continuously changing process into a large number of simple steps. Each step produces an approximation, and as the number of steps increases, the sequence converges toward the exact solution. Remizov and his colleagues have also shown how quickly this convergence occurs.
The study further demonstrates that applying the Laplace transform to these approximations leads precisely to the resolvent operator, a central concept in the theory of differential equations. This provides a constructive procedure for finding solutions, even if they cannot be written as a finite expression using elementary functions.
In practical terms, the approach allows mathematicians to substitute the coefficients a, b, c, and g into a standard second-order equation, ay′′+by′+cy=g, and obtain the solution function y through a well-defined limiting process.
Remizov, who earned his PhD from Moscow State University in 2018, works at both the Higher School of Economics and the Institute for Problems in Mathematical Transmission of Information of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
His research focuses on approximation methods for operator semigroups, an area with deep connections to mathematical physics.

В середине XIX века в Северо-Восточной Азии обитали около 3000 амурских тигров, однако после двух договоров между Россией и Китаем - Айгунского договора (1858) и Пекинского трактата (1860) они оказались на грани вымирания из-за потери среды обитания и массового притока охотников. В первой половине XX века их численность сократилась на 96 %, пока в 1950-х годах не начались попытки восстановить популяцию. В обеих странах немаловажную роль в сохранении и восстановлении численности тигров сыграло международное сотрудничество.

The history of Asia is replete with imperial rulers who exerted power over vast territories - Chinggis Khan, Ashoka, Cyrus, Timur and others - but none compare in strength or ferocity with Asia’s apex predator, the tiger (Panthera tigris). For thousands of years, the mighty tiger has commanded the respect, fear, and admiration of which mere humans can only dream.
Largely solitary animals, tigers have raised their cubs and hunted prey in the temperate and tropical forests, grasslands, and mountains across a historical range that once sprawled from Turkey and Iran, across Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, through much of the Indonesian archipelago, northward over China and into the Russian Far East. But the tiger’s range has been reduced by more than 90 percent over the last century. As recently as two decades ago, tigers could still be found in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, but no more.
Elsewhere, tiger conservation has produced encouraging results, with significant population increases in India and Nepal. In some areas of Northeast China and Southeast Russia, tiger numbers have also risen, in no small part due to the dedication of key government agencies and collaborations between scientists in Russia, China, and the United States.
The subspecies Panthera tigris altaica, commonly known as the Amur tiger (previously called the Siberian tiger), have lived in an area covering nearly 3 million square kilometers for thousands of years, according to wildlife biologist Jonathan Slaght, author of "Tigers Between Empires: The Improbable Return of Great Cats to the Forests of Russia and China."
Slaght details how in the mid-19th century, there may have been as many as 3,000 Amur tigers spread across Northeast Asia before being nearly driven to extinction due to habitat loss and a massive influx of hunters following two treaties between Russia and China - the Treaty of Aigun (1858) and the Convention of Peking (1860). By the end of the 19th century, Amur tiger numbers had fallen dramatically, with a 96 percent decline in the first half of the 20th century until they began a modest recovery starting in the 1950s.
Slaght, regional director of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)’s Temperate Asia Program, has written a detailed history of how Russian and American scientists collaborated to track, monitor, and preserve the Amur tigers in the Russian Far East, especially Primorsky Krai, an ecologically unique region that supports boreal, temperate and subtropical plants and animals found together nowhere else.
The focus of his book is the history of how a 30-year collaboration between conservation biologists, newly formed protected areas, and new laws led to a fragile recovery of this iconic species. The idea for the project began in the 1970s when American wildlife biologist Maurice Hornocker started a series of conversations with Russian ecologist Yevgeniy Matyushkin about how to better study Amur tigers.
Hornocker, a renowned carnivore specialist who had extensively studied grizzly bears, cougars, and other big cats, couldn’t forget about tigers, and so in the late 1980s, when relations between the United States and Russia began to thaw, he and one of his PhD students traveled to Primorsky Krai, where the Siberian Tiger Project began to take shape. The Cold War was in its final throes, and while he said Russian scientists at the time enjoyed a stature equal to that of the military, there were many who doubted a Russian-U.S. partnership would be successful. Hornocker understood that in going into Russia, the Americans were inserting themselves into another culture and that a spirit of collaboration was essential.
That first decade required the American scientists to overcome any resistance to the presence of outsiders and to establish credibility. The program needed a leader with the diplomatic skills and scientific expertise to integrate into an isolated, small community in the Russian hinterlands. That person was American wildlife biologist Dale Miquelle.
Although Miquelle was an ungulate specialist with limited carnivore experience, Hornocker said he was "masterful." Miquelle, who arrived in Primorsky Krai in 1992, committed for three years but ultimately stayed for 30.
The Siberian Tiger Project was funded by the Hornocker Wildlife Institute until it began to merge with WCS in 1998. For three decades, dozens of scientists, graduate and undergraduate students from Russia, the U.S., and other countries, worked together to track, tag, measure, and/or monitor over 30 adult tigers and their cubs in the Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve and in other protected areas of northeast Asia. Slaght’s book recounts how the scientists, equipped with remotely trackable VHF and GPS collars, tranquilizer darts, and coin-sized ID ear clips, followed tigers in the snow and through the mud, in forests of oak, pine, and birch, to study their needs and behavior.
Miquelle and his colleagues worked closely with rural communities who were at greatest risk of encountering tigers to improve understanding and reduce the chances of conflict while creating conditions favorable for tiger survival.
In Primorsky Krai’s unforgiving wilderness, one of the greatest threats to tigers are roads that bisect habitats, introducing hunters, loggers, and poachers. Limiting direct contact with humans and creating designated conservation districts benefits wild animals and prey, but can fuel indifference or resentment if people are excluded from resource-rich areas.
Respectful Coexistence
Slaght examines how the scientists sought to encourage humans who lived near tiger habitats to see them as individuals worthy of respect and peaceful coexistence, not simply as a terrifying predator.
Describing an encounter with a tigress as a "surreal experience," Slaght said it is like finding an enormous house cat with a beautiful, shining coat sleeping in the middle of an oak forest. Compared to bears he’d seen with fur matted with pine sap or owls covered with insects, the tiger was extremely clean.
On one occasion, Miquelle encountered a partially tranquilized tiger whose roar was not loud; rather, it was huge, a sound Slaght said is "designed to incapacitate without contact, to stun prey or aggressors into terrified inaction."
Referring to Indian conservation biologist Ullas Karanth, who said, "when you see a tiger, it is always like a dream," Miquelle said firsthand encounters can be life-changing. He recalls being struck by how harmoniously tigers fit in with their landscape, one tiger gazing at him with the complete indifference of a 400-pound house cat and an overpowering magnificence.
In the early 1990s, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, there was more political and economic instability in Russia. With the Russian government focused on other problems, international conservation NGOs tried to provide stopgap initiatives to support tigers and other endangered species.
While conservation efforts continued in Primorsky Krai, Russian and Chinese scientific collaboration grew along the borders of Heilongjiang in China and Primorsky Krai in Russia. The project also helped identify and develop potential areas for additional protection, working with communities, scientists, and government agencies.
Slaght described the early 2000s as "the golden days of tiger conservation in Russia" with a combination of stable funding and strong government and growing public support. Tiger conservation practitioners in Russia were increasing, and a 2005 tiger census showed a population that was stable and consistent with evidence that the Amur tiger range might be expanding.
Amid greater political and economic stability in the late 2000s, Russian government agencies began to reassert a leading role in tiger conservation initiatives, according to Miquelle. Like other governments in Asia, Russia wanted to be seen as a leader of tiger conservation efforts at the national and international level.
Miquelle continued with the Siberian Tiger Project until 2022, making the decision to leave Russia one month after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He remained the WCS’s global tiger program coordinator until he retired in 2024.
A Matter of Survival
Miquelle believes an important aspect of the program’s legacy was the training provided to young Russian conservation practitioners, exposing a new generation to modern conservation practices, ethics, and approaches. He sees a trend of governments in Asia broadly taking more responsibility for conservation work, trying to reduce the imprint of foreign NGOs.
Hornocker, now 95 and living in Idaho, reflected on the program, emphasizing the importance of educating the public with factual information based on years of hard-earned field research. It’s vital to "keep informing with the facts," Hornocker told The Diplomat, adding, "we have the information now. We know what we could do." "We have to promote the positive as strongly and as vigorously as we can," he said.
Because tigers wander freely between borders, Slaght said, "the fate of these cats has really risen and fallen depending on which side of the arbitrary line they’re on." He remains "extremely optimistic" about the future of tigers in China, where "the government is interested in tigers [and] has been investing significantly in tiger conservation… and there’s space for them to come back."
Slaght added that as winters become milder, sika deer move north followed by tigers into forested areas with fewer roads and lower human populations. "That’s great for tiger conservation," Slaght said. "The fewer people we have in conflict or living in the same places as tigers, the better tigers are going to be able to survive."
Miquelle also sees reason for guarded optimism, with positive developments in Thailand, Nepal, India, China, and Russia. For example, China has created the largest protected area for tigers and leopards in Asia. Additionally, a coalition of 11 NGOs is working together to develop new funding mechanisms to ensure the recovery of tigers, according to Miquelle. These conservation bright spots share common traits: solid government support, strong law enforcement, robust protection of habitat, and working with local communities.
But a new threat has come in the form of African swine fever, which swept across Asia starting around 2019 and is decimating wild boar populations, a primary prey species for tigers. When tigers can’t get their usual wild prey, they are more inclined to approach domestic animals or pets.
The presence of umbrella species like tigers, which require large expanses of land, is an indicator of the overall health of an ecosystem. Ensuring the survival of tigers is an effective way to address multiple environmental problems. The natural systems within provide ecosystem services (clean water, medicinal plants, climate change mitigation), and Miquelle said, "protecting tigers goes a long way towards addressing many of the most severe environmental problems in Asia."
Preserving tiger habitat can play an important role in reducing conflict and competition with humans. Striving for co-existence is not unique to tiger conservation, says Miquelle. "We need to demonstrate an ability to protect these systems if we’re going to survive as a species ourselves."
Today, nearly four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, tensions between Russia and the U.S. continue to prevent free and open communications with journalists. Under Russia’s expanded foreign agent law, speaking with Russian scientists for this story was not feasible. Despite this, the need for international collaboration, particularly in fighting environmental threats and protecting biodiversity, is greater than ever.
Slaght’s powerful account of the Siberian Tiger Project (and his award winning 2020 book on fish owl conservation, also set in Primorsky Krai) provide powerful testimony of what can be achieved when scientists collaborate across borders, and what is at risk of being lost in the absence of cooperation, transparency, and trust.

Шестьдесят лет назад, 3 февраля 1966 года, советский аппарат «Луна-9» стал первым созданным человеком объектом, совершившим мягкую посадку на Луне. Он отключился, проработав три дня. Сейчас точное местонахождение «Луны-9» неизвестно, его не нашли даже орбитальные аппараты НАСА и Индийской организации космических исследований - Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter и Chandrayaan-2, которые нанесли на карту почти всю лунную поверхность, детально отметив места посадки «Аполлона» и следы советских луноходов. «Космические археологи» из Англии, Японии и России, используя алгоритмы машинного обучения и ручной анализ открытых источников информации, выявили несколько перспективных мест для поисков пропавшего аппарата. Координаты переданы индийским ученым, которые планируют проверить их в марте этого года с помощью Chandrayaan-2.
Полный текст статьи.

Humanity’s first successful lunar lander is missing. Sixty years ago the Soviet Luna 9 became the first human-made object to achieve a soft landing on the moon - or, for that matter, any celestial body. Yet today its exact location remains a mystery.
While NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and India’s Chandrayaan-2 have mapped nearly the entire lunar surface - capturing the Apollo landing sites and Soviet rover tracks in exquisite detail - Luna 9 has eluded detection. The craft, it turns out, is too small for even the sharpest orbital cameras to easily distinguish from the surrounding rubble.
That may soon change. "Space archaeologists" from England, Japan and Russia - leveraging machine-learning algorithms and painstaking manual open-source intelligence methods - have identified several promising candidate sites. And they say deeper scrutiny from India’s Chandrayaan-2 could soon confirm the discovery.
Luna 9 was a product of the second generation of Soviet lunar probes, a program designated Ye-6. The road to success was paved with failure: 11 previous Ye-6 launches ended prematurely as a result of rocket malfunctions, booster failures or orientation system errors. Success finally came on the 12th attempt. On February 3, 1966, the spacecraft touched down in Oceanus Procellarum (the Ocean of Storms).
Its landing sequence was a feat of unconventional engineering. Unlike modern probes that descend on landing legs, Luna 9 jettisoned its orientation modules during descent and fired a braking engine. As it neared the surface, it deployed a sensor downward. When the sensor touched the ground, the spacecraft ejected a 100-kilogram spherical capsule from five meters above the surface. Encased in inflatable shock absorbers, the sphere bounced across the lunar surface like a beach ball, eventually settling and unfolding four petal-like panels to stabilize itself. The 430-kilogram descent stage crashed nearby. Of the 1.5 metric tons launched from Earth, only that small sphere survived to operate on the lunar surface.
Equipped with no solar panels, the probe ran on batteries for just three days. In that time, it transmitted three panoramic photos, measured radiation and - most crucially - demonstrated that landing on the moon was possible at all. Back then some researchers feared the moon was covered in a deep "ocean" of dust that would swallow any lander whole. Luna 9 proved the ground was firm, clearing the path for the next missions.

В России сокращается популяция одного из крупнейших (размах крыльев до двух метров) представителей семейства совиных - рыбного филина или филина Блэкистона. Его ареал обитания включает российский Дальний Восток, северо-восток Китая и остров Хоккайдо. Глобальная популяция филинов составляет, по разным оценкам, от 1000 до 1900 особей, из которых в России проживает менее 200. В ФНЦ биоразнообразия наземной биоты Восточной Азии ДВО РАН разработали долгосрочный план по разведению филинов в неволе с последующим возвращением их в дикую природу.

Assise immobile sur un tronc d’arbre tombé au sol, au fin fond de la vallée fluviale de Tunsha dans l’Extrême-Orient russe, Rada Surmach s’efforce d’entendre le cri lugubre des hiboux qui nichent dans les environs.
Au crépuscule, elle entend enfin le duo de grands-ducs de Blakiston. Cette espèce de hibou, la plus grande au monde avec son envergure de 1,80 m, est menacée.
Ces duos troublants, rares chez les hiboux, renforcent les liens du couple. Le mâle appelle sa partenaire pour lui dire « Je suis là ! », ce à quoi la femelle répond dans une tonalité plus basse « Moi aussi ! »
Haut perchés dans la canopée, les couples de grands-ducs de Blakiston se lancent dans un duo à quatre notes d’appels synchronisés pouvant durer jusqu’à deux heures. Ces rapaces, reconnaissables à leurs yeux jaune vif et leurs aigrettes tape-à-l’œil, nichent dans les cavités d’arbres anciens qui parsèment les vallées fluviales boisées de l’Extrême-Orient russe, là oùles forêts pluviales boréales et tempérées rencontrent la mer du Japon et la mer d’Okhotsk.
Nommée d’après le naturaliste anglais du 19e siècle Thomas W. Blakiston, cette espèce de hiboux compte deux sous-espèces : Bubo blakistoni doerriesi, présente en Russie et sans doute dans le nord-est de la Chine, et Bubo blakistoni blakistoni, qui vit à Hokkaidō, au Japon, et dans les îles Kouriles sud de la Russie.
Si, à Hokkaidō, les habitants nourrissent les grands-ducs de Blakiston et gèrent leur population, les couples reproducteurs vivant dans le kraï du Primorié, qui seraient moins de 200, sont complètement sauvages. La population de ces hiboux est comprise entre 1 000 et 1 900 individus dans le monde.
Étudiante en doctorat et chercheuse au Centre scientifique fédéral pour la biodiversité terrestre d’Asie de l’Est à Vladivostok, Rada Surmach a mis au point un plan de conservation à long terme visant à réintroduire des grands-ducs de Blakiston nés en captivité au sein du parc national de la Terre du léopard, dans le sud du Primorié. L’espèce vivait autrefois dans cette région peu développée.
La doctorante estime que cet impressionnant oiseau de proie a le potentiel nécessaire pour devenir une espèce emblématique qui sensibilisera le public, à l’image du tigre de Sibérie, également connu sous le nom de tigre de l’Amour.
« À chaque fois que j’explique qu’il s’agit du plus grand hibou du monde et qu’il vit dans notre forêt, le public est très enthousiaste », raconte-t-elle.
Menacé par le réchauffement climatique
Le grand-duc de Blakiston fait face à deux menaces : la réduction de son habitat et les effets du réchauffement climatique.
Cette espèce se nourrit de saumon, de truite et de lamproie dans les cours d’eau glacés en hiver. Au printemps, le mâle ajoute les amphibiens au menu pour nourrir sa partenaire et leur unique oisillon duveteux.
Mais le réchauffement climatique pourrait décaler l’arrivée du printemps. Les grenouilles émergeraient alors trop tôt ou trop tard pour nourrir les oisillons affamés, explique Jonathan C. Slaght, biologiste de la faune et coordinateur de la Wildlife Conservation Society pour la Russie et le nord-est de l’Asie. Les conséquences d’un tel décalage, appelé discordance trophique, pourraient s’avérer catastrophiques ; les jeunes hiboux risqueraient de mourir de faim, ce qui finira par provoquer un déclin de la population, ajoute le biologiste. En 2020, dans l’espoir de susciter l’intérêt du public pour cette espèce unique, ce dernier a publié un livre sur le sujet.
Avec la hausse des températures à la surface des eaux dans le nord-ouest du Pacifique, des tempêtes et des typhons de plus en plus destructeurs ont récemment frappé le Primorié, un phénomène qui, selon Jonathan C. Slaght, constitue une autre menace aux sites de nidification et à l’habitat des grands-ducs de Blakiston. En 2016, le typhon Lionrock a causé d’importants dégâts dans les forêts anciennes, fracassant des ormes de Mandchourie, des saules et des pins de Corée gigantesques et ne laissant rien d’autre que des graviers lessivés le long des berges.
Victime de l’exploitation forestière
Jonathan C. Slaght estime que les principales menaces auxquelles sont confrontés les grands-ducs de Blakiston vivant dans le Primorié sont les chemins d’exploitation forestière. Le nombre de ces routes, construites en toute légalité, a été multiplié par 17 depuis les années 1980. Même si les grands-ducs de Blakiston nichent principalement dans de grands arbres morts sans valeur commerciale, les chemins d’exploitation forestière permettent aux Hommes, et notamment aux braconniers, aux bûcherons illégaux et aux ramasseurs de pignons de pin d’accéder à des zones plus reculées de la forêt.
Ces intrus peuvent représenter une grave menace pour les grands-ducs de Blakiston et d’autres espèces menacées, notamment en les percutant avec leur véhicule ou en déclenchant par accident des incendies.
En outre, les bûcherons abattent souvent les arbres anciens très appréciés par cette espèce de hiboux pour construire des ponts à l’improviste dans la forêt. Afin d’encourager les sociétés forestières à trouver d’autres alternatives, Jonathan C. Slaght et Sergey Surmach, le père de Rada qui étudie les grands-ducs de Blakiston depuis 30 ans, ont mené une étude de cinq ans sur l’habitat de ce hibou, publiée en 2010.
Dans celle-ci, les scientifiques conseillaient aux sociétés forestières de ne pas toucher à certaines essences d’arbres anciens, comme l’orme, le chosenia et le peuplier du Japon. À l’inverse, ils préconisaient l’exploitation d’arbres plus communs que les grands-ducs de Blakiston n’utilisent pas, comme le mélèze de Dahurie et le tremble. Ils encourageaient aussi les sociétés forestières à bloquer les routes inutilisées à l’aide de bermes pour éviter que les bûcherons illégaux et les braconniers les empruntent. Comme le souligne Jonathan C. Slaght, ces fermetures, même temporaires, offrent un répit à la faune.
Contactée à deux reprises au sujet de son rôle dans la conservation de cette espèce de hiboux, TerneyLes, la plus grande société forestière opérant dans le Primorié, n’a pas répondu nos e-mails.
Le primorié, un lieu encore sauvage
Il y a toutefois des raisons d’être optimiste. Grâce à la création de réserves locales ou fédérales, le Primorié a déjà protégé près de 28 millions de km², soit 17 % de son territoire. En seulement 15 ans, la province a établi quatre nouvelles aires protégées qui couvrent une superficie totale de presque 16 000 km².
Selon Victor Bardyuk, directeur du parc national de la Terre du léopard, le gouvernement du Primorié participe à la gérance environnementale et collabore avec les conservationnistes depuis longtemps, notamment en ce qui concerne les tigres de Sibérie et les léopards de l’Amour. (À lire : À la découverte du léopard de l’Amour)
« La conservation de ces animaux, y compris du grand-duc de Blakiston, est un exemple frappant de l’attitude des Hommes envers la nature et des efforts efficaces entrepris par la province pour la préserver », indique-t-il.
Victor Bardyuk ajoute que les interdictions relatives à l’exploitation forestière dans les « aires protégées de catégorie élevée », l’instauration de quotas sur le nombre d’arbres coupés et le suivi par satellite des activités forestières ont contribué à protéger le léopard de l’Amour. Cette espèce en danger critique ne compte plus qu’une centaine d’individus à l’état sauvage.
Selon Svetlana Soutyrina, directrice de la réserve naturelle de Sikhote-Alin, la plus grande aire protégée du Primorié, sa réserve jouit depuis quelques années d’un meilleur contrôle sur le trafic de bois illicite et le braconnage. L’implication d’organisations à but non lucratif, comme la Wildlife Conservation Society, WWF Russie et l’Amur Tiger Center, a amélioré la situation pour la faune de la région, dont le grand-duc de Blakiston.
Même si cela n’est pas pour tout de suite, Rada Surmach et ses collègues espèrent lancer un programme de reproduction en captivité pour cette espèce de hiboux. Cela permettrait d’avoir une population de secours d’animaux susceptibles d’être relâchés dans la nature un jour. En 2018, le zoo de Moscou a lancé un programme de reproduction de grand-duc de Blakiston. Deux femelles B. b. blakistoni en font actuellement partie, l’une vivant au zoo de Moscou, l’autre au zoo de Sakhaline.
Les rois de la forêt
Les efforts entrepris ne bénéficient pas seulement aux grands-ducs de Blakiston. Un habitat suffisamment sauvage pour subvenir aux besoins de cette espèce a plus de chance de satisfaire ceux d’une multitude d’animaux, notamment la marte à gorge jaune, le cerf élaphe, l’ours brun, l’élan et le lynx boréal, soulignent les conservationnistes.
« Le Primorié est un lieu encore sauvage », confie Jonathan C. Slaght. « Il mérite d’être protégé et cela est possible ».
Lors de sa première rencontre avec les grands-ducs de Blakiston à l’état sauvage, Rada Surmach se souvient avoir eu très envie de découvrir des empreintes fraîches de tigre dans la neige.
« Vous prenez conscience que vous n’êtes pas seul dans cette forêt. Il y a des animaux sauvages tout autour de vous. Cette forêt est la leur et ils en sont les rois », déclare-t-elle.

В ходе реставрации исторического здания в центре Москвы был найден клад из 20 000 серебряных монет XVI-XVII веков. Палаты купца и думного дьяка Аверкия Кириллова, погибшего во время Стрелецкого бунта в мае 1682 г., были построены в 1650-х гг., а клад, судя по месту обнаружения, был личной казной Кириллова.

A sensational archaeological discovery in Moscow reveals 20,000 silver coins hidden inside the historic house of merchant Averky Kirillov, shedding new light on trade, wealth, and uncertainty during the turbulent turn of the 16th-17th centuries.
A remarkable archaeological discovery has come to light in the heart of Moscow during restoration work on a historic building along the Bersenevskaya Embankment. Thousands of silver coins were uncovered inside the residential chambers of the famous merchant Averky Kirillov, offering new insights into trade, wealth, and political uncertainty at the turn of the 16th-17th centuries.
The find was announced by Russia’s Minister of Culture, Olga Lyubimova, who described the hoard as one of the most significant monetary discoveries in recent years. According to preliminary estimates, the treasure contains nearly 20,000 silver coins, carefully hidden inside a ceramic vessel and concealed on the second floor of the merchant’s residence.
Who Was Averky Kirillov?
Averky Kirillov was a prominent Moscow merchant whose stone chambers, built in the late 17th century, remain an important architectural monument today. Merchants like Kirillov played a crucial role in Russia’s economic life, acting as intermediaries between regional producers, foreign traders, and the state.
Averky Kirillov was not only a wealthy merchant but also an influential official. He owned salt mining enterprises and oversaw trade, finance, and taxation in the region. The stone chambers he commissioned reflected his status, featuring richly decorated window trims, elegant half-columns, pilasters, and cornices.
Contemporary accounts suggest that overseas visitors were often impressed by the house’s magnificent facade, the lush courtyard with a garden, and the lavishly furnished interior, which demonstrated the prosperity and taste of one of Moscow’s most prominent merchants.
The discovery of such a vast hoard inside a private residence suggests not only personal wealth, but also the strategic importance of safeguarding assets during times of instability. Kirillov’s house, located close to the Kremlin and major trade routes along the Moscow River, would have been an ideal place to store valuables discreetly.
Dating the Hoard: The Turn of the 16th-17th Centuries
Experts have preliminarily dated the coins to the late 1500s and early 1600s, a period marked by profound upheaval in Russian history. This era includes the end of the Rurik dynasty and the onset of the Time of Troubles, characterized by political chaos, economic disruption, and foreign intervention.
During such unstable times, hoarding silver coins was a common survival strategy. Silver served not only as currency but also as a reliable store of value when trust in political authority and monetary reforms was low.
Who Might the Coins Belong To?
Although the hoard was found in Kirillov’s chambers, historians caution against immediately assuming personal ownership. Several possibilities are being considered:
Personal savings of Averky Kirillov, accumulated through long-distance trade and commercial operations.
Collective merchant capital, temporarily stored for safekeeping during unrest.
Funds intended for trade or taxation, hidden and never retrieved due to sudden death, exile, or political events.
Similar hoards from this period often remained untouched for centuries, especially if their owners were unable to return during the chaos of the Time of Troubles.
Numismatic Clues and Historical Parallels
While the exact inscriptions and imagery on the newly discovered coins are still under study, comparable finds provide valuable context. In 2024, specialists uncovered silver coins in the Kirillo-Belozersky Museum-Reserve bearing inscriptions such as "Grand Prince Ivan" and "Grand Prince Dmitry," as well as images of Saint George the Victorious.
Such markings are typical of silver kopeks minted during periods of contested authority, when multiple rulers or claimants issued currency simultaneously. (A kopek is a small Russian silver coin that was used as a basic unit of currency in the 16th and 17th centuries: 100 kopeks are worth 1 ruble or 1 hryvnia.) If similar inscriptions appear on the Bersenevskaya hoard, they could help pinpoint the exact political moment when the coins were hidden.
Scientific Study and Preservation
The Ministry of Culture has confirmed that the hoard will be thoroughly studied, catalogued, and preserved for Russian science. Specialists will determine the precise number, composition, and value of the coins, using modern conservation and analytical techniques.
Beyond monetary worth, the discovery offers historians a rare snapshot of urban life, merchant behavior, and economic strategies during one of Russia’s most turbulent eras.
A Window Into the Past
This extraordinary find transforms a historic building into a tangible link with Moscow’s past. The silver coins hidden centuries ago now tell a story of caution, wealth, and uncertainty - reminding us that even in stone chambers overlooking the river, history was shaped by decisions made in times of fear and hope.

В Государственной публичной научно-технической библиотеке СО РАН состоялось торжественное мероприятие, посвященное 585-летию со дня рождения поэта и мыслителя, основоположника узбекского литературного языка Алишера Навои, а также 543-летию со дня рождения Захириддина Мухаммада Бабура, ученого, поэта, правителя, основателя Империи Великих Моголов. В мероприятии приняли участие российские и узбекские ученые и студенты.

A ceremonial event dedicated to the 585th anniversary of the founder of the Uzbek literary language and great humanist Alisher Navoi, as well as the 543rd birthday of Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur, was held at the State Public Scientific-Technological Library of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SPSTL SB RAS), reports Dunyo IA correspondent.
The event was attended by senior researchers of the library, university professors and students from Novosibirsk, Uzbek scholars specializing in legacies of Navoi and Babur, as well as Uzbek students and compatriots.
Irina Lizunova, Director of the SPSTL SB RAS and Tourism Brand Ambassador of Uzbekistan in Russia, emphasized not only the significance of the event for the scientific and cultural life of Novosibirsk but also the importance of Alisher Navoi’s literary legacy in world literature and poetry.
She noted that his works have been translated into numerous languages and published in large editions around the world. "We can proudly say that Alisher Navoi’s creative heritage is a spiritual treasure not only of the Uzbek people but of all humanity," she concluded.
Aslam Akbarov, Consul General of Uzbekistan in Novosibirsk, highlighted Alisher Navoi’s role as a leading figure in Uzbek literature, who revealed the vivid and highly imaginative world of his people.
"He refined the Old Uzbek literary language to classical perfection, using it in poetry, prose, and scientific treatises. Today, the Uzbek language, now a state language, is inseparably linked with the name of the founder of modern Uzbek literature, Alisher Navoi," he said. "At the same time, Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur entered history not only as a military leader and founder of the Baburid dynasty in India but also as a scholar and poet who left a rich literary and scientific legacy, including works on Islamic jurisprudence."
Candidate of Philological Sciences and poet Kavsar Turdiyeva, in a video address, emphasized that Alisher Navoi wrote poetry, prose, and scholarly treatises that comprehensively reflect the spiritual life of 15th-century Central Asia.
"He placed great importance on the human mind, calling it a divine gift surpassing all jewels", she noted. "In his poetry, Alisher Navoi praised qualities such as modesty, kindness, love for one’s homeland and people, and paid special attention to child upbringing, considering the child a source of joy and happiness in the family. Central to his philosophy was love for the native language, which he celebrated without boundaries."
Professor Abdumajid Madraimov also held discussion about Babur’s artistic world in detail, mentioning that he authored original lyrical works (ghazals, rubaiyat), treatises on Islamic law (Mubayin), poetics (Aruz Risolasi), music, military affairs, and even created a special alphabet called Khat-i Baburi.
"His most significant work, however, is the historical prose masterpiece "Baburnama", which remains unparalleled among Eastern works from the early 16th century", he stated. "His poetry often expressed love for the homeland and longing for his native land, calling on people to uphold kindness, justice, and high moral values.
Doctor of History and Editor-in-Chief of the scientific and historical journal "Siberian Archive" Vladislav Kokoulin highlighted Alisher Navoi’s role as a historian who uniquely combined history and humanism, vividly describing court life and the socio-economic development of the region. According to him, one of his finest lyrical works is Treasury of Thoughts, comprising four cycles: Wonders of Childhood, Rarities of Youth, Marvels of Middle Age, and Final Advice of Old Age, containing about 2,500 ghazals. Special attention is given to Alisher Navoi’s encyclopedic knowledge of world history, exemplified in The Wall of Alexander, narrating the life of Alexander the Great.
All participants and guests of the event emphasized the enduring significance of Navoi and Babur’s works for world civilization and culture, noting their continued relevance for humanity. The audience gave enthusiastic applause for ghazals by Alisher Navoi, performed by Diyorbek Kholmuminov, a student of the Economics Faculty at Novosibirsk State University.

Параллельно побережью Антарктиды на протяжении более 500 километров (от Земли Принцессы Елизаветы до Земли Мак-Робертсона) идет высокоамплитудная линейная магнитная аномалия. Природа ее долго оставалась неизвестной, но предполагалось, что она связана с шовной зоной между древними блоками литосферы. Исследовав керн из-подо льда Восточной Антарктиды, российские и китайские геологи пришли к выводу, что источником аномалии является кристаллическая горная порода мафический гранулит, а сама аномалия - часть древней островной вулканической дуги, «приросшей» к Антарктиде в ходе столкновения континентов около миллиарда лет назад.

Geologists from St. Petersburg State University, as part of an international scientific team, have analyzed rock data from East Antarctica and determined that the magnetic anomaly in this region resulted from the convergence of continents and the birth of the supercontinent Rodinia approximately 1 billion years ago. The research is published in the journal Polar Science.
Antarctica, almost entirely hidden beneath an ice sheet averaging 2.2 km in thickness, remains one of the least studied regions of our planet in terms of subsurface structure. Understanding the structure of its continental crust is critically important for reconstructing the history of the formation and breakup of supercontinents - landmasses that, hundreds of millions of years ago, united nearly all of Earth's land.
This knowledge can also aid in studying the dynamics and mass balance of its glacial cover. However, direct data on the structure of this continent's bedrock is virtually nonexistent due to the difficulty of obtaining it and the extreme climatic conditions.
In January-February 2026, a unique Russian-Chinese ice drilling project for sampling bedrock deposits was carried out for the first time in the history of exploring the southern continent's interior.
The drilling aimed to decipher the nature of a high-amplitude linear magnetic anomaly that runs parallel to the coast for more than 500 km. Its origin had remained unknown, but it was hypothesized to be related to the junction between ancient lithospheric blocks.
During fieldwork, based on previously conducted detailed magnetic and radar surveys, scientists drilled through over 540 meters of ice and obtained a core sample from the rock base. These are the first physical samples retrieved from beneath the ice of East Antarctica for purposes related to studying Earth's crust structure.
After transporting the obtained materials from Antarctica to St. Petersburg, they were studied in laboratory conditions using state-of-the-art research methods.
Specialists conducted petrographic, chemical, isotopic analyses, and performed uranium-lead dating on zircon grains identified in the sample. This allowed them to accurately determine not only the core's composition but also the age boundaries of its formation and subsequent metamorphic changes, as well as to establish the nature of the magnetic anomaly.
"As a result of the drilling, we obtained a sample of dark crystalline rock - so-called mafic granulite. The research showed that precisely this material is the source of the intense magnetic anomaly we observe at the surface," explained Professor German Leichenkov, head of the Department of Geophysics at St. Petersburg State University and the Russian side's project leader.
"The obtained data allow for an important conclusion: this anomaly is a fragment of an ancient island volcanic arc that 'accreted' to the Antarctic continent in the distant past. This process was part of a large-scale continental collision and the formation of the supercontinent Rodinia approximately one billion years ago."
The authors determined that the primary magmatic precursor of this rock mass formed about 970 million years ago. After its formation, it was significantly altered twice under the influence of high temperatures and pressure: approximately 800 and 890 million years ago, under conditions of 650 to 790 degrees Celsius and pressures corresponding to depths of 15-18 km within Earth.

Считается, что контакты между населением евразийской степи и земледельческими обществами Северного Китая начались лишь с распространением скотоводства и металлургии в бронзовом веке. Исследовательская группа китайских, российских и корейских палеогенетиков выявила ранненеолитическую популяцию, ставшую генетическим мостом между прибайкальскими палеосибиряками и обитателями Яньшаньского региона на севере Китая за тысячи лет до возникновения скотоводства.

An international research team has uncovered a previously unknown "north-south corridor" of human interaction. This prehistoric link connected Early Neolithic populations from the Lake Baikal region of Siberia with those in the Yan Mountain Region (YMR) of northern China, thousands of years before the rise of pastoralism.
The study, published today in the journal Science Bulletin, challenges the long-held view that significant contact between the Eurasian Steppe and northern Chinese agricultural societies only began with the spread of pastoralism and metallurgy in the Bronze Age.
By analyzing 42 ancient genomes from three archaeological sites, dating from 7,700 to 4,300 years before present (BP), the researchers identified a key population that serves as a genetic bridge. These individuals, from the Early Neolithic Sitaimengguying (STM_EN) site in northern China (ca. 7,700-7,400 BP), carried a distinct genetic signature linked to populations from Lake Baikal, specifically descendants of a group known as Ancient Paleo-Siberians (APS).
"The Sitaimengguying population is the critical link," said Yinqiu Cui, a corresponding author and professor at the School of Life Sciences, Jilin University. "Without their genomes, this prehistoric north-south connection would have remained invisible. They served as a crucial intermediary, preserving the genetic signal from the Baikal region and allowing us to trace this legacy into later populations in northern China."
This genetic link is strongly supported by rare archaeological evidence. The STM_EN site features unique round-bottomed vessels, a style previously only found in the Lake Baikal region. Furthermore, the burial practice at STM_EN - with males placed in a lateral position with overlapping limbs - was also prevalent at Lake Baikal.
The study also provided a high-resolution genomic snapshot of the Yan Mountain Region, an agropastoral transition zone. The team found that later Late Neolithic individuals from the Jiangjialiang (JJL_LN) site (ca. 4,800-4,300 BP) were genetically heterogeneous. They were the product of an ongoing admixture between the local, northern STM_EN-related groups and southern farming populations migrating from the Yellow River region.
"The Yan Mountain Region was clearly a dynamic border zone, a true sphere of interaction," said Choongwon Jeong, a corresponding author and associate professor at the School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University. "We see not just the early north-south connection, but also a continuous north-south admixture later in time. This highlights the YMR's pivotal role in shaping the genetic landscape of northern East Asia."
This research provides a new, fine-scaled picture of population history in East Asia. By using the Ancient Paleo-Siberian ancestry as a tracer , the team has demonstrated that long-distance connections were shaping human genetics and culture in this region far earlier than previously understood.

Сотрудники Музея археологии и этнографии Енисейской Сибири Сибирского федерального университета показали рыболовные снасти из музейной коллекции возрастом 10-15 тысяч лет. Гарпун и крючок вырезаны из оленьего рога, причем крючок имеет вполне современный вид, но другой тип крепления.

Archaeologists in Krasnoyarsk have uncovered fishing equipment dating back as far as 10,500 years, shedding new light on the technological sophistication of early inhabitants of Yenisei Siberia.
Specialists from the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography of Yenisei Siberia at Siberian Federal University announced that the artefacts, recently studied as part of ongoing research into prehistoric subsistence practices, range in age from 9,000 to 10,500 years.
The finds offer precious physical evidence of how ancient communities managed to survive in a hostile riverine environment in central Siberia.
All of the recovered fishing tackle was made of deer antler, a durable, workable material that was the primary tool material during prehistoric times. Among the biggest finds are hooks whose overall shape resembles that of modern fishing hooks.
Though similar in shape, their approach to line attachment differs substantially from today’s. Instead of a looped eye at their base, the ancient hooks have small carved notches. These were grooves in which the fishing line had to be held down to prevent slips and maintain its integrity during use.
Researchers say that detail reflects an advanced understanding of both materials and mechanical stress. A notched fastening system would have distributed tension effectively along the base of the hook, increasing reliability in fast-moving water conditions typical of Siberian rivers. Another significant artefact is a 27-centimetre-long harpoon, also made from deer antler.
According to archaeologists, its manufacture required considerable technical expertise and a carefully sequenced production process. The antler was first cut using a stone axe, then split lengthwise with burins-specialised chisel-like tools made of stone. From one half of the split antler, the craftsperson carved the harpoon’s teeth and socketed head, again employing burins for precision shaping. The final stage involved polishing the surface with abrasive stone to smooth irregularities and strengthen the finished implement.
High level of craftsmanship and accumulated technical knowledge among early Siberian populations were manifested in the manufacturing process, which is complex.
These ancient communities did not just fish, scientists stress, they also did it out of necessity - fishing itself was a survival skill. Without reliable pieces of equipment and extensive knowledge of fish behaviour, they would have simply lacked consistent food supplies. Newly studied artefacts highlight the ingenuity and adaptability that enabled human groups to thrive in the harsh climatic conditions of prehistoric Siberia.

Мемристор - современный электрический компонент, сопротивление которого зависит от силы и направления заряда, прошедшего через него ранее, и который сохраняет это состояние после отключения питания. Мемристоры работают по принципу, очень похожему на работу нейронов и соединяющих их синапсов в человеческом мозге. Благодаря быстрому отклику и простой структуре из двух электродов они все чаще становятся основой современных схем, особенно предназначенных для искусственного интеллекта.
Физик Геннадий Панин из Института проблем технологии микроэлектроники и особочистых материалов РАН предлагает расширить эти возможности, создав мемристорные схемы из двумерных материалов толщиной всего в несколько атомов.

New generations of memristors could reliably store information directly within the molecular structures of graphene-like materials. In a new review published in Nanoenergy Advances, Gennady Panin of the Russian Academy of Sciences shows how these atomically thin materials are ideally suited for electrical circuits that mimic the function of our own brains - and could help address the vast power requirements of emerging AI technologies.
Remembering past currents
A memristor is a cutting-edge electrical component whose resistance depends on the amount of current that previously passed through it. Because it "remembers" this history even after charge is no longer flowing, it can store data when the power is switched off. In this way, memristors operate in a way remarkably similar to the neurons in our brains and the synapses connecting them.
With their fast response times, combined with simple, two-electrode structures that allow them to be packed into dense arrays, memristors are increasingly forming the building blocks of modern circuits - especially those designed for AI.
Graphene-based materials
In his review, Panin explores how these capabilities could be pushed even further by building memristor circuits from 2D materials just a few atoms thick.
Since the discovery of graphene, numerous studies have examined how its already versatile electrical properties can be enhanced by modifying the molecular structure of its honeycomb lattice of carbon atoms.
In particular, these materials can be engineered to exhibit nonlinear behavior - meaning the current flowing through them doesn't increase proportionally with applied voltage. This nonlinearity is essential for stable memory storage and switching between distinct resistance states.
Controllable memristive states
Panin considers a versatile range of 2D materials: including graphene oxide, diamane (a 2D, diamond-like phase of carbon), and layered chalcogenides - which don't contain carbon but share a similar structure to graphene.
Across these materials, electrical current can trigger partial rearrangements of their atomic lattices - shifting from flat, highly conductive networks to more distorted, less conductive configurations, increasing their resistance. In graphene-based systems, these effects can also be tuned through controllable redox reactions: adding oxygen-containing groups makes the material less conductive, while removing them restores higher conductivity.
Finally, the review explores how memristive properties can also emerge through phase transitions triggered by light across a broad range of wavelengths. Such optically driven switching enables devices that both sense and store information - comparable to how living systems gather and retain information from the light they perceive.
Possibilities for AI
By highlighting these robust switching mechanisms, Panin ultimately argues that 2D graphene-like materials could help address the rapidly growing energy demands of AI data centers - currently one of the most pressing concerns surrounding the technology's rapid expansion.
By integrating memory storage directly into the molecular structure of circuit elements, such devices could perform similarly fast and powerful calculations to existing architectures while consuming only a fraction of the energy. In turn, this approach could pave the way for more sustainable AI applications: from self-driving cars to the discovery of new medicines tailored to individual patients.

Археологи обнаружили новые свидетельства в пользу того, что берестяные грамоты в средневековом Новгороде не исчезли в XV веке, как считалось ранее, а использовались и после присоединения его к Великому княжеству Московскому в 1478 году.

Archaeologists have discovered new evidence proving that birch bark writing in medieval Novgorod continued even after the region was annexed by Moscow in the late 15th century. The findings were presented during the 40th All-Russian Conference "Novgorod and Novgorod Land: History and Archaeology," where academician Alexei Gippius of the Russian Academy of Sciences revealed results from the 2025 excavation season.
The discoveries further solidify the importance of Veliky Novgorod as one of medieval Eastern Europe’s most literate societies and provide new insight into taxation, trade, legal practices, and daily life from the 12th to early 16th centuries.
Six New Birch Bark Letters Discovered
During the 2025 archaeological season, researchers uncovered six birch bark documents, numbered 1232 through 1237. Four were found at the Trinity excavation site, one at the Ioannovsky site, and one near Ekaterininskaya Gorka, close to the Victory Monument.
The most historically significant revelation comes from Document No. 1237, dated to the late 15th or early 16th century. This dating is crucial because it demonstrates that the tradition of writing on birch bark did not disappear in the 15th century, as previously believed, but continued into the so-called Moscow period following Novgorod’s annexation by the Grand Duchy of Moscow under Ivan III in 1478.
According to Petr Gaidukov, advisor to the director of the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the letter contains a list of goods stored in baskets, specifically oats and rye. Initially thought to belong to the 16th century, further examination placed it at the transition between the 15th and 16th centuries.
A 12th-Century Tax Record from Kargopol
Perhaps the most valuable artifact, however, is Document No. 1232, dating back to the late 12th century. This letter records tribute collection from Volosovo Pogost, stating: "This is the tribute from Volosovo Pogost worth 80 and 8 grivnas."
The reference connects to territories near modern-day Kargopol, which were under Novgorod’s control during the medieval period. The document provides rare quantitative data on tribute payments and strengthens historical understanding of Novgorod’s vast economic network, which stretched deep into northern Russia.
These records demonstrate the sophisticated administrative system of the Novgorod Republic, which functioned as a major commercial hub along the Baltic trade routes.
Legal Notes and Debt Lists Reveal Daily Life
Other letters offer glimpses into legal and social matters.
Document No. 1234, though partially cut in the Middle Ages, contains a fragment referencing the dispatch of a bailiff to a debtor: "Send the bailiff to him." This indicates structured legal enforcement mechanisms in medieval Novgorod.
Document No. 1235, reconstructed from fragments, contains a debt register listing amounts in kunas and rezanas - early forms of currency used in medieval Rus. The document mentions several personal names, including Pervyata, Rokhlo, Dalko, and the particularly rare archaic name "Zhitozhizn."
Linguistically, this name is especially interesting. It combines two ancient Slavic name roots - "Zhit" and "Zhizn" - which rarely appear together. Such findings are invaluable for scholars studying Old East Slavic naming traditions and language evolution.
Document No. 1236 preserves a brief domestic message: "Dmitry sent word with Puneya to his mother…" Meanwhile, Document No. 1233, dating to the 14th century and discovered at the Ioannovsky excavation site, appears to be a respectful note addressed to a boyar widow and her sons, including blessings for their health.
Together, these letters portray a literate society engaged in trade, governance, family communication, and legal proceedings.
The Birch Bark Writing System: A Medieval Innovation
Birch bark writing was a unique and practical communication system widely used in medieval Novgorod and other East Slavic territories between the 11th and 15th centuries. Instead of expensive parchment, residents used thin layers of birch bark, which were readily available in northern forests.
Text was inscribed using a stylus rather than ink, scratching letters directly into the bark’s inner surface. The writing system employed the Cyrillic alphabet, adapted from the script developed by Saints Cyril and Methodius in the 9th century.
The durability of birch bark in Novgorod’s waterlogged soil - which preserves organic material remarkably well - has allowed archaeologists to recover more than 1,200 birch bark documents since the first discovery in 1951.
Unlike many medieval European societies where literacy was largely confined to clergy and elites, Novgorod’s birch bark letters suggest widespread functional literacy. Messages were written by merchants, craftsmen, women, and even children. Some previously discovered letters include school exercises and drawings made by young boys learning to write.
The 2025 findings further extend the known timeline of this writing tradition, proving that it survived political transformation and integration into Moscow’s centralized state.
Rewriting Medieval Russian Literacy
The continuation of birch bark documentation into the Moscow period forces historians to reconsider assumptions about cultural decline following Novgorod’s annexation. Instead, the evidence suggests continuity in administrative practices and everyday literacy.
As excavation work continues in Veliky Novgorod, archaeologists hope to uncover further documents that may reshape understanding of medieval Russian society.
For now, the six newly discovered birch bark letters serve as tangible proof that even amid political upheaval, the written word endured - scratched carefully into bark, preserved beneath the soil for centuries, and now helping historians rewrite the story of early Russian civilization.

Компьютерная томография одной из пазырыкских мумий, проведенная специалистами Новосибирского государственного университета, позволила обнаружить на ее черепе следы успешной хирургической операции. У женщины, умершей 2500 лет назад в возрасте 25-30 лет, была прижизненная травма головы, полученная, возможно, в результате падения с лошади - височно-челюстной сустав был разрушен, а нижняя челюсть смещена. Два просверленных под прямым углом костных канала диаметром всего 1,5 мм и пропущенное сквозь них подобие лигатуры из конского волоса или сухожилия удерживали поверхности суставов вместе и давали женщине возможность двигать челюстью.

In 1994, archaeologists trekking through the frozen Ukok Plateau of southern Siberia stumbled upon a humble grave. Unlike the lavish, gold-filled burials usually associated with the Pazyryk culture, this young woman’s resting place was modest. With only a partial skull preserved in the permafrost and no flashy artifacts, her story remained untold for three decades.
Now, thanks to high-resolution CT imaging, her secret is finally out. It turns out she was the patient in what might be the earliest known case of complex jaw surgery.
A Devastating Injury
The woman, who lived about 2,500 years ago, was around 25 to 30 years old at the time of her death. Archaeologists found her lying on her side on a wooden bed inside a larch log burial chamber. She wore only a wig typical of Pazyryk women, and archaeologists found no other objects in her grave.
A small patch of mummified skin covered her skull, preventing closer examination. "This mummified part of skin on the skull of the buried woman did not make anthropological research possible, but we wanted to learn as much as possible about the woman," said Natalia Polosmak of the Russian Academy of Sciences. "Therefore, the opportunity to study it on a tomograph was the only and fortunate chance, which I took advantage of."
When scientists at Novosibirsk State University digitally peeled back the mummified tissue, they found a horror story in the bone. A massive blow to the right side of her head had crushed her temporal bone and shattered her right temporomandibular joint - the hinge that makes talking and eating possible. Her jaw had shifted entirely out of alignment, likely leaving her in agony and unable to speak.
Without treatment, an injury like this is a death sentence via malnutrition or infection. But this woman didn’t die - not then, anyway.
Precision and Pressure
The scans revealed two tiny, 1.5-millimeter canals drilled into the bone at right angles. Inside these channels, researchers found traces of horsehair or animal tendon. This was a clear sign of surgery; it was more than a bandage, it was more of a primitive prosthetic.
Two narrow canals, about 1.5 millimeters in diameter, had been drilled into the bones forming the damaged joint. The channels met at a right angle. Inside them, researchers detected traces of elastic material, likely horsehair or animal tendon.
"It is possible that we have discovered evidence of such a surgical procedure for the first time," said Dr. Andrey Letyagin, a radiologist with the Russian Academy of Sciences, noting that similar cases have not appeared in scientific literature. "This primitive prosthetic held the articular surfaces together and allowed the patient to move her jaw. The joint functioned, but she still couldn’t chew food on the injured side due to severe pain."
New bone had grown around the drilled canals, forming a ring of dense tissue that confirmed the procedure had been performed while she was alive. The healing indicates she survived for months or possibly years after the operation.
Her teeth offer further evidence. The molars on the left, uninjured side were heavily worn and chipped, suggesting she relied on that side to chew. On the right, the teeth remained comparatively intact.
Iron Age Medicine
The Pazyryk were nomadic pastoralists who lived in the Altai region between the sixth and third centuries B.C. Their burials in permafrost have preserved textiles, woodwork and even tattooed skin.
Previous discoveries have shown that they practiced cranial trepanation - drilling holes into the skull - and had detailed anatomical knowledge linked to their tradition of mummification. Using CT scans allowed researchers to reconstruct the intervention in detail.
Although the woman’s grave lacked elaborate goods, her burial structure required valuable timber in a largely treeless region. Polosmak sees the operation itself as evidence of her importance within her community.
"Every Pazyryk resident possessed certain essential, and perhaps even unique, qualities and talents… In this society, everyone was valued in life simply for their existence, and honored after death," she said.
The scans do not reveal how she was injured. A fall from a horse is one possibility, given the Pazyryk’s reliance on riding.
What they do show is that her community attempted - and succeeded - in restoring her ability to speak and eat. It’s a wonder they were able to do as much with what they had available at the time.

На Ямале открыто крупнейшее за последние 30 лет нефтяное месторождение. Его запасы оцениваются примерно в 55 миллионов тонн. Месторождению присвоено имя сибирского геолога и геохимика, академика РАН Алексея Конторовича.

In the Arctic zone of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Gazprom Neft has discovered one of the most significant oil fields of the past 30 years. The deposit is located within the South Novoportovsky and Saletinsky license areas. Geological reserves are estimated at around 55 million tons of oil.
The new field is part of a large oil and gas cluster in the southern part of the Yamal Peninsula, which already includes the South Novoportovsky, Surovy, and Saletinsky areas. It has been named after Alexei Kontorovich, one of the founders of the Russian scientific school of petroleum and natural gas geology, whose research made a major contribution to the development of oil and gas production in Western Siberia.
According to Gazprom Neft CEO Alexander Dyukov, the discovery underscores the continued substantial potential of Russia’s resource base, particularly in the Arctic and Eastern Siberia. At the same time, the project makes an important contribution to implementing Russia’s Energy Strategy through 2050, in which the development of Arctic projects plays a central role.
The discovery is the result of a three-year geological exploration program. Modern 2D and 3D seismic technologies as well as digital geological and hydrodynamic subsurface models were used. An exploration well reached a depth of around 2,700 meters and confirmed commercially viable inflows of low-sulfur, low-viscosity oil, as well as gas and condensate. Drilling operations were coordinated around the clock by the drilling management center in Tyumen, with digital solutions enabling real-time monitoring and precise forecasting.
Further exploration activities are planned in the coming years to examine the structure of the field in detail and lay the groundwork for industrial development.

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