InhaltsangabeGeology - Paleontology- Paleoclimate. Overview of geology and tectonic evolution of the Baikal-Tuva area. Tectonics of the Baikal rift deduced from volcanism and sedimentation: a review oriented to the Baikal and Hovsgol lake systems. Paleoclimate and evolution: emergence of sponges during the Neoproterozoic.- Organisms: Sponges. Studies on the taxonomy and distribution of freshwater sponges in Lake Baikal. Towards a molecular systematics of the Lake Baikal/Lake Tuva sponges. Symbiotic interaction between dinoflagellates and the demosponge Lubomirskia baicalensis: Aquaporin-mediated glycerol transport.- Evolution. Silicon in Life: Whither Biological Silicification? Fossil Sponge Fauna in Lake Baikal Region. Identification and isolation of a retrotransposon from the Lubomirskia baicalensis: implication in rapid evolution of endemic sponges.- Role of biosilica in morphogenesis. Modeling of the siliceous skeleton.- Biosilica formation. Silicatein: Nano-biotechnological and Biomedical Applications.- Role of biosilica in material sciences. Role of Biosilica in Materials Science: Lessons from Siliceous - Biological Systems for Structural Composites. An overview of Silica in Biology, its Chemistry and recent Technological Advances. Optical and nonlinear optical properties of sea glass sponge spicules. Nanobiotechnology: Soft Lithography. The application of silicon and silicates in dentistry - a review.- Role of Biosilica in Nanobiotechnology. Sustainable exploitation and conservation of the endemic Lake Baikal sponge (Lubomirskia baicalensis) for the application in nanobiotechnology.