astronomy

Ilya Darevsky

Ilya Darevsky is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Ilya Darevsky rather than just read about it. In short: Ilya Sergeyevich Darevsky (Russian: Илья Сергеевич Даревский, 18 December 1924 – 8 August 2009) was a Soviet Russian zoologist-herpetologist and a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. During his career he described 34 species of amphibians and reptiles.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

Ilya Sergeyevich Darevsky (Russian: Илья Сергеевич Даревский, 18 December 1924 – 8 August 2009) was a Soviet Russian zoologist-herpetologist and a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. During his career he described 34 species of amphibians and reptiles. Darevskia, a genus of Caucasian rock lizards, is named after him.

Early life and military career Darevsky was born on 18 December 1924 in Kiev. He was interested in amphibians and reptiles since his childhood, when he met Sergey A. Chernov, a herpetologist from Leningrad. During World War II, he was wounded twice and was decorated with the Order of the Red Star and Order of the Great Patriotic War of the 1st degree.

Scientific career After the war, Darevsky was recruited to join the Biology Faculty of the Moscow State University, from which he graduated in 1953. From 1954 to 1962, he worked in Armenia, first as a Ph. D. student, then as a Junior Researcher, Scientific Secretary and Head of the Department of Zoological Institute, Armenian SSR Academy of Sciences. In 1958, he defended his Kandidat thesis on reptiles of Armenia and their zoogeography (under the supervision of Dr. Sergey A. Chernov). Later on, studies of the Caucasian herpetofauna, and the rock lizards in particular, made him a recognized scientist. In 1962, Darevsky became Junior Researcher at the Zoological Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences; in 1967, he defended his Doktor of sciences thesis "The Rock Lizards of the Caucasus"; and in 1976, he became the Head of Laboratory of Ornithology and Herpetology, which he led for the next twenty years. Darevsky made many discoveries in evolutionary biology. He was the first to discover parthenogenesis and polyploidy in higher vertebrates and showed their importance for speciation. These discoveries inspired an explosion of similar investigations across many taxa and made Darevsky a world authority on the evolutionary importance of parthenogenesis and polyploidy in vertebrates. Darevsky authored more than three hundred scientific papers and several monographs about the systematics, ecology, paleontology, morphology, and conservation of amphibians and reptiles. He has also been part of many zoological expeditions to the Caucasus, Central Asia, Indonesia (Komodo), and Vietnam. He trained many scientists from the Commonwealth of Independent States, Mongolia, and Vietnam, and for many years he lectured on herpetology at Leningrad State University. For the training of next generation foreign scientists, he was awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples (1982) by the government of the Soviet Union and "Friendship" medal (2000) by the government of Vietnam. In 1985, he was given the honorary title of Honored Scientist of the RSFSR, and in 1987 he became a laureate of Mechnikov Prize. Darevsky was President of the Russian Herpetological Society (1989–2006), honorary member of the Societas Europaea Herpetologica (since 1996) and American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (since 1973), and a member of many Russian and foreign scientific societies. Many species of amphibians and reptiles were named in honor of Darevsky. The Caucasian rock lizards, that Darevsky studied for his entire life, were named in his honor as a genus Darevskia, as well as the viper Vipera darevskii, and the lizard Eutropis darevskii. As head of the Laboratory of Ornithology and Herpetology, he introduced a collaborative style of administration that encouraged independent research. Colleagues noted his willingness to support junior researchers and his openness to professional consultation. During his last ten years, Darevsky was a leader of the St. Petersburg herpetological school. He became seriously ill over the last few years and was unable to visit the Zoological Institute. Nonetheless, he was continuously interested in the life of his colleagues and was upset that he could not work anymore. But as he said before his death: "I did a lot, and now I should have some rest". He died on 8 August 2009 aged 84.

Selected publications Orlov, Nikolai; Darevsky, Ilya S. (1999) "Description of a new species of mainland Goniurosaurus genus, from the north-eastern Vietnam". Russian Journal of Herpetology 6 (1): 72–78. Darevsky IS, Kupriyanova LA, Roshchin VV (1984). "A new all-female triploid species of gecko and karyological data on the bisexual Hemidactylus frenatus from Vietnam". Journal of Herpetology 18 (3): 277–284. Ananjeva NB, Borkin LJ, Darevsky IS, Orlov NL (1998). "[Amphibians and Reptiles]". In: [Encyclopedia of Nature of Russia]. Moscow: ABF. 574 pp. (in Russian).

References

External links

Ilya Darevsky at BiomedExperts Department of Herpetology, Russian Academy of Sciences

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Ilya Darevsky

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Ilya Darevsky claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Ilya Darevsky before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Ilya Darevsky ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Ilya Darevsky

In research: Ilya Darevsky appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Ilya Darevsky in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Ilya Darevsky is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1924 births, 2009 deaths, 20th-century Russian zoologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Ilya Darevsky outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Ilya Darevsky in 20 minutes

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Frequently asked questions

What is Ilya Darevsky in simple terms?

Why does Ilya Darevsky matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Ilya Darevsky?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Ilya Darevsky.