Who was Nikolai?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
June 7, 2002
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No one ever named a plant for him. His name is not listed among the celebrated botanical authorities. He was forgotten and remembered only by chance in the 1980s.
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Guns, Germs, and Steel DVD & Book Set
As seen on PBS and based on the Pulitzer Prize—winning book by Jared Diamond, who traveled the globe for more than 30 years trying to answer one of the big questions in world history: Why is the world so unequal? The answers he found—that the societies that developed food production techniques first were also the first to develop writing, technology, and government—were simple, yet extraordinary.
Our DVD weaves together anthropology and science with epic historical reenactments that bring his fascinating theories to life. The DVD is also available with an updated version of the book with a new chapter. Two-disc DVD set is 165 minutes long. Book is hardcover. 6 1/4" x 9 1/4". 528 pages. © 2005
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Nikolai was born in 1887, the end of an era. Explorers had traveled the world for the past 250 years seeking new plant species. Turn of the century wisdom felt that most of what humans could discover had been found. In 1916, Nikolai took his first plant collecting mission sent to Iran by the Ministry of Agriculture.
For the next 24 years, Nikolai traveled to every part of the world he obtained permission to visit. He was interested not only in the botany of an area, but its language, history, and archaeology. He came to recognize a pattern--the greatest amount of genetic variation was found where a plant was first domesticated. These locations were the earliest civilizations. From his expeditions, Nikolai determined that agriculture arose in eight centers in the world: China, India, Central Asia, Asia Minor, the Mediterranean, Abyssinia (Ethiopia and Somalia), South America, and Central America.
Nikolai realized the importance of genetic diversity. He and his colleagues collected seeds from as many genetic variations as they could find to build the world's first seed bank. He took part in one hundred expeditions to 64 countries.
Through it all, he remained kind. Biographer Barry M. Cohen (1988) related a story that during an expedition through Ethiopia, Nikolai was advised to shackle his native guides. Instead, he bought the men sandals. When he became ill, the men stayed because he had not shackled them.
In 1940, he was arrested and thrown into prison, a victim of Stalin and Lysenko. The man who understood that genetic diversity could prevent crop failures and famines slipped from world view. Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov died in 1943. The cause was listed as dystrophia, the deterioration of the mind and body brought on by starvation.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia has posted a biography of Nikolai Vavilov. To read the biography, click on the link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Vavilov
Ecobooks has posted information about the Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry. To read more about the world's first seed bank, click on the link:
http://www.ecobooks.com/authors/vavilov.htm
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
Suggested Reading:
Why is the pear a mystery? Weird Plants - June 6, 2002
What does café mean? Plants that Changed History - December 17, 2002
Bamboo (Phyllostachys) Plant of the Week - February 7, 2005
Did the Native Americans grow corn that was free of earworms? Renfield's Garden - August 29, 2001
What is strange about domestic figs? Weird Plants - September 5, 2002
What was the cotton of Kush? Plants that Changed History - February 26, 2002
How did domestication change the chayote? Weird Plants - August 11, 2005
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Michigan Bulb -$20 off—>Click here.
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Birth of Civilization: The Rise of Man DVD
National Geographic®
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As seen on the National Geographic Channel.
Through CGI, recreations and expert interviews, National Geographic presents an epic account of 8,000 years in mankind's history—from man's emergence on the planet through his continued quest to dominate the world.
The Earth has witnessed the birth, growth and disappearance of numerous species. But one species, Homo sapiens, set off to conquer the world. Man hunted and domesticated animals, built cities and developed complex civilizations but also created war in his quest to dominate throughout time.
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1 disc; 90 minutes
Bonus Feature: Photo Gallery; Bonus Interviews
© 2008
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Search for the Ultimate Survivor DVD
National Geographic®
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More has been learned in the last 10 years about how we became human than in the previous 50 years. Through elaborate recreations and computer animation along with expedition footage, National Geographic explores fascinating new discoveries including a hobbit-size human and an ancient super hominid that help shed new light on the mysteries of our origins.
Includes Bonus Program: Mystery of the Neanderthals.
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Approximately 90 minutes. © 2005
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In the Footsteps of Eve
National Geographic®
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For Lee Berger, a young American scientist, the story began in 1989 when he first encountered the rich fossil fields of South Africa. Later, along the limestone-rich shores of a South African lagoon, Berger first discovered the unmistakable fossilized footprints of a modern female human. The monumental surprise—and the impetus for this enthralling narrative—comes when Berger realizes that the prints are at least 117,000 years old. Immersing himself in the controversial debate on human evolution, Berger's In the Footsteps of Eve establishes a new view of our origins.
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Has Berger stumbled upon the proverbial missing link—the elusive connection between our earliest ancestors and the modern world? If so, then his discovery calls for a complete revision of the story of evolution. It is traditionally accepted that most fossils have been discovered in East Africa, but Berger' steadily mounting evidence suggests that the central events in human evolution and, in fact, modern humans themselves, actually emerged in South Africa and then spread north, eventually migrating to Asia and Europe and beyond. So to whom do these footprints belong? Was she really the original ''African Eve,'' the one common ancestor of all living humans?
A spellbinding detective story that manages to fuse the craft and tension of the best suspense writers with the acumen and thoroughness of Richard Leakey, Berger's In the Footsteps of Eve goes head to head with the prevailing theories of human evolution and marks the accomplished debut of an extraordinarily intelligent and fast-rising young scientist.
336 pages. Softcover. 5 3/4'' x 8 3/4''. © 2001
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Dawn of the Maya Video & DVD
National Geographic®
Through breathtaking discoveries, archaeologists are uncovering the early years of the ancient Maya to reveal a dynamic, sophisticated culture that was flourishing before the time of Christ. The Preclassic Maya—once dismissed as primitive—created massive pyramids, elaborate art, early writing, and more. Join National Geographic's Dawn of the Maya as it investigates the rise one of the world's greatest and most mysterious civilizations.
Approximately 60 minutes.© 2004
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The Amateur Naturalist
National Geographic®
National Geographic naturalist Nick Baker brings you the ultimate how-to guide for exploring nature. An education in natural science unto itself, it's filled with page after page of fascinating secrets, surprising facts, and inspiring commentary that encourage the whole family to see the many sides of nature they've never seen before.
From communicating with wildlife to reading the forest's hidden signs, the hands-on activities, beautiful photos, and detailed illustrations enthusiastically reveal everything you need to know to fully experience our beautiful world.
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National Geographic Magazine
National Geographic®
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You are invited to roam the world in the pages of National Geographic magazine. Explore the diversity of our planet's lands and inhabitants in compelling stories covering topics such as animals, nature, science, technology, culture, history, travel, adventure, exploration, and geography. The monthly National Geographic magazine is your key benefit of membership.
Additional benefits include:
- As many as five wall map supplements throughout the year in issues of the magazine
- A personalized Membership Certificate
- Special discounts on selected products
- The opportunity to examine special Society products free in your home before deciding to purchase
- The privilege of traveling the world with the Society's educational travel tour programs
- The satisfaction of supporting important research, conservation, education, and exploration projects
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Join the Society and bring the adventure of National Geographic into your home!
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