Тиетта. 2009, N 1 (7).

6 Интервью с автором книги «Эволюция вещества» И.Н. Толстихиным THE EVOLUTION OF MATTER The Evolution o f Matter explains how all matter in the Universe developed from primordial production of light elements in a matter of minutes after the Big Bang, and from subsequent stellar processes that continue to create heavier elements at the expense of lighter ones. It also describes the evolution of interstellar matter and its differentiation during the accretion of the planets and the history of the Earth. Much emphasis is placed on isotopic data. Variations in the stable isotope compositions of many elements help us to understand the underlying chemical and physical processes of differentiation. Radioactive isotopes, and their radiogenic daughter isotopes allow the time and duration of numerous natural processes to be constrained. Unlike many books on geochemistry, this volume follows the chemical history of matter from the very beginning to the present, demonstrating connections in space and time. It provides solid links from cosmochemistry to the geochemistry of the Earth, in the context of astrophysical and planetary processes. The book presents comprehensive descriptions of the various isotope systematic and fractionation processes occurring naturally in the Universe, using simple equations and helpful tables of data. With a glossary terms and over 900 references, the text is accessible to readers from a variety of disciplines, whilst providing a guide to more detailed and advanced resources. This volume is a valuable reference for researchers and advanced students studying the chemical evolution of the Earth, the Solar System and the wider Universe. Igor Tolstikhin was awarded a Ph.D. in geochemistry from the St. Petersburg Mining Institute in 1966 and a D.Sc. from the Vernadsky Institute inMoscow, in 1975. He is currently a Senior Research Scientist at the Russian Academy of Sciences, where his research has encompassed noble gases, radiogenic isotope geochemistry, isotope hydrology, and geochemical modeling. His more recent contributions include a chemical Earth model with wholly convective mantle. Jan Kramers was awarded a Ph.D. from the University of Berne in Switzerland in 1973 and went on to work in South Africa, the UK and Zimbabwe, before returning to the University of Berne, where he is currently Professor of Geochemistry in the Institute of Geological Sciences. Professor Kramer’s research interests include mantle geochemistry (kimberlites, diamonds), the origin of Archaean continental crust, global radiogenic isotope systematics, early evolution of the Earth’s atmosphere, and, more recently, palaeoclimate research using the speleothem archive. Ян Крамерс и Игорь Толстихин в Международном институте космических исследований, Берн, Швейцария, 2006 г. Здесь и далее фото: И.Н. Толстихин. Вопрос: Вот уже скоро год как Ваша книга «увиде­ ла свет». Вам ста­ ло жить легче, пос­ ле того, как Вы прекратили работу над ней? Ответ: Жить стало легче, ко­ нечно, но до сих пор есть ощущение «потери контакта»: что-то очень близкое ушло... За долгое вре­ мя работы, около 10 лет, мы «срослись», книга стала частью моей души, и этой части иногда не хватает . Вопрос: Как следует из анно­ тации, Ваша книга рассматривает эволюцию вещества во Все­ ленной. Почему и когда Вы ре­ шили взяться за такую огром­ ную работу?