Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki

The peer-review journal Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki (VIET) ["Studies in the History of Science and Technology"] journal was founded in 1980 on the basis of an irregularly published collection of works by employees of the Institute for the History of Science and Technology of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (IHST of the USSR Academy of Sciences).

Founders

Russian Academy of Sciences
Institute for the History of Science and Technology

Publisher

Russian Academy of Sciences

About the journal

The main block of the journal's materials is formed by original articles presenting research results of qualified specialists in the history and philosophy of science and technology. The scientific level of the results and the compliance of articles with publication standards is ensured by a representative editorial board, which includes two academicians (RAS), one corresponding member of the RAS, doctors and candidates of sciences.

The contents of the journal are divided into main sections reflecting the scope and specifics of the proposed scientific publications:

General Problems of the History of Science and Technology
From the History of Science
Social History of Science
From the History of Technology
Lessons from History
Materials for the Biographies of Scientists and Engineers
Institutions and Museums
Sources for the History of Science and Technology

The information block contains memoirs, reviews, books reviews, annotations for defended dissertations, as well as information about past conferences and correspondence with readers.

The journal is published quarterly and is included in the "List of peer-reviewed scientific publications" of the Higher Attestation Commission of Russian Federation and the Russian Science Citation Index in Web of Science.

Media registration certificate: № 0110149 от 04.02.1993

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Vol 46, No 3 (2025)

Year: 2025
Articles: 13
URL: https://cardiosomatics.ru/0205-9606/issue/view/14008

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From the History of Science

Mineral Resource Exploration in the European North-East of the USSR, Led by A. A. Chernov (1930s – 1940s)

Osedakh A.G.

Abstract

Based on the archival documents and published works, the article examines the studies conducted by Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences A. A. Chernov in the 1930s – 1940s, and concerned with mineral resource exploration in the European North-East of the USSR. Chernov became involved in these studies when the interest in the economic exploration of the European North-East of the USSR increased in connection with the industrialization of the country. The article reviews research areas that aroused his greatest interest and the expeditions in the Polar and Subpolar Urals and Timan he had participated in. Chernov obtained the data on the geological and tectonic structures of the region and established a stratigraphic breakdown of the deposits in the areas he studied. Chernov was involved in mineral prospecting and estimating oil presence in the Timan / Pechora region. A critical component of these works was a detailed review of the geology of the Pechora Urals with its offshoots, the arc of the Novaya Zemlya, the Timan and the Kanin Peninsula, the northern part of the Russian plate; and the analysis of mineral resources in the northern areas and of their economic and industrial prospects. Chernov summarized his research in the field of geology and mineral resources, which he had conducted over many years, in his monograph titled “Productive Forces of the Komi ASSR. Vol. 1. Geological Structure and Mineral Resources of the Komi ASSR”.

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Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki. 2025;46(3):433-444

433-444

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Social History of Science

Activities of the Novaya Zemlya subcommission under the Russian Academy of Sciences: On the scientific exploration of Novaya Zemlya in the 1920s

Filippova T.P.

Abstract

The article examines the joint activities of the RSFSR / USSR’s relevant scientific bodies, aimed at organizing the studies of the Arctic archipelago of Novaya Zemlya in the 1920s. The documents used in the article are deposited at the St. Petersburg Branch of the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Central State Archive of Scientific and Technical Documentation of St. Petersburg, the Russian State Archive of Economics, and the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute. The Novaya Zemlya Subcommission under the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Polar Commission in 1922–1923 combined the efforts of scientific organizations (the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Northern Scientific and Commercial Expedition, the Geological Committee, the Main Hydrographic Directorate, etc.) to develop the first scientific program for the studies of Novaya Zemlya. We examine the key results of scientific organizations’ expeditionary trips to Novaya Zemlya and the scientists’ activities to develop a unified plan for the archipelago exploration. It was determined that the main factors in the intensification of the Novaya Zemlya exploration process in the 1920s were the need in the investigation of mineral potential of the islands in connection with the economic crisis in the country, and the protection of the state’s geopolitical interests in the Arctic. It is concluded that the archival documents used here contain valuable historical evidence of the Novaya Zemlya exploration in the 1920s and of the functioning of the first interdepartmental body for the studies of the archipelago. Despite its short life, the Subcommission’s activities were of great scientific and geopolitical importance for the exploration of the Arctic borders of the USSR.

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Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki. 2025;46(3):445-461

445-461

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From the History of Technology

The History of the Construction of the Ligovsky Canal, Its Storage Reservoirs and Water Towers (First Half of the 18th Century)

MAKAROV B.S.

Abstract

Based on the analysis of relevant publications and a large number of newly introduced archival documents, the history of the construction of the Ligovsky Canal and its two storage reservoirs and water towers is described. It is shown that these structures, built based on V. G. Tuvolkov’s original idea, became a successful implementation of the attempts to create a hydrotechnical water supply system for the fountains in the Summer Gardens and other imperial parks. The article analyzes Peter the Great’s mistake in drawing up the design assignment for the water towers; the conflict between M. G. Zemtsov and a Dutch master builder, Harmen van Bol’es, when designing these towers; the disastrous destruction of the Ligovsky Canal when water was first let into it in the summer of 1729; and the history of numerous repairs of the Ligovsky Canal. The dimensions of all hydrotechnical facilities involved in water supply to the Summer Garden fountains (water towers, storage reservoirs on their roofs, aqueducts that connected them, etc.) are provided as well as the information about who was involved in the repair and maintenance of the Ligovsky Canal, and how and by whom it was guarded. The question of how the Ligovsky Canal and the water towers were depicted on the St. Petersburg maps (“plans”) in the first half of the 18^th century is briefly considered.

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Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki. 2025;46(3):462-488

462-488

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The History of Creation and Development of Space Telemetry Facilities in the USSR (Second Half of the 1940s – 1970s)

Kukushkin M.A., Losik A.V.

Abstract

The article reviews the history of the establishment and development of space telemetry facilities in the USSR that enable ground-based tracking of the functioning of space systems. The authors propose a periodization of this process, based on telemetry system parameters such as the type of their element base and information processing principles used in these facilities. Seven generations of Soviet space telemetry facilities were distinguished during the period from the second half of the 1940s through the 1970s. The article looks into the basic constructions of Soviet telemetry devices, provides its performance characteristics, and identifies each generation’s advantages and shortcomings. It is emphasized that in some cases, when creating telemetry equipment, Soviet scientists and engineers employed breakthrough technologies of the time.

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Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki. 2025;46(3):489-510

489-510

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Lessons from History

How IBM Won: Changes in Government Policy Concerning the Development of Computing Technology in the USSR in the Second Half of the 1960s.

Bodrova E.V., Kalinov V.V.

Abstract

The article examines a very relevant problem related to the formation of a Soviet government strategy for the development and production of computers in the second half of the 1960s. The novelty of the research is determined not only by the introduction of previously unpublished, declassified archival documents for scientific use, but also by solving the problem of identifying the factors that prompted the central authorities to switch to cloning American models. It is shown that, in 1967, leaning on the leading experts’ opinion, Soviet leadership acknowledged that all the measures taken earlier to accelerate the development and production of modern computers failed to produce the desired effect. The gap between the Soviet Union and advanced countries continued to grow. It is concluded that the analysis of the options proposed by various departments prompted the government to follow the well-trodden path and borrow American models. Among the factors that determined this decision were the prevalence of the departmental approach and the failure to recognize the importance of computer industry for the development of the country. Other options proposed by the leading scientists were ignored by the authorities.

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Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki. 2025;46(3):511-523

511-523

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Historical Reviews

The History of Formation of Biosphere Approach in Evolutionism in the USSR

Kozlova M.S.

Abstract

The article is devoted to the history of evolutionism in the USSR. The main approaches to evolution research are phylogenetic and biosphere approaches. Phylogenetic approach was typical for Darwinism and Modern Synthesis. Adherents to this approach described the development of phyletic lines without explaining the aspects of macroevolution in biotic communities. Adherents to biosphere approach have come to understand the evolution of the living world as a succession of ecosystems in geological time. The approach to the evolution of biota as a single system can be seen in the works of L. S. Berg and D. N. Sobolev; subsequently the biosphere approach in the modern sense began to develop thanks to V. I. Vernadsky and a number of Russian ecologists. Thus, the biosphere approach in evolutionism developed in the USSR along with the Modern Synthesis.

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Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki. 2025;46(3):524-539

524-539

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The History of Morphological Research in Kursk (1935–1991)

Nikishina N.A.

Abstract

Kursk State Medical Institute was founded in 1935 and the Department of Human Anatomy as well as the Department of Histology and Embryology were established the same year. The researchers who joined these departments came from other cities. Initially, nobody controlled their work and they continued their studies in the field of morphology that they had begun before they moved to Kursk. In 1934, however, the All-Union Scientific Association of Embryologists, Histologists and Anatomists (“VAEGA”) was set up in the USSR that was transformed into the All-Union Scientific Society of Anatomists, Histologists and Embryologists (“VNOAGE”) in 1949. The latter gradually took under control all morphological studies in the country by setting up its regional and krai branches and directing their activities. The VNOAGE began to control scientific research at the morphological departments in higher educational institutions and laboratories in scientific research institutes; to coordinate the training of new scientific personnel, the publication activity, and the teaching of morphological disciplines in universities; to support provision of equipment and facilities for morphological departments; to define main directions and methodological approaches to scientific research; and to establish and maintain international contacts. In 1954, a VNOAGE branch was established in Kursk and, since then, the Kursk morphologists worked within the areas defined by the VNOAGE as high priority studies, thus helping the advancement of morphological research. The article looks into the history of morphological studies conducted in the Kursk State Medical Institute and the VNOAGE from 1935 to 1991.

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Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki. 2025;46(3):540-559

540-559