Johann Friedrich Adam
Encyclopedia
Johann Friedrich Adam, later called Michael Friedrich Adams (1780, Moscow
- 1 March 1838, Vereya
) was a botanist from St. Petersburg
, Russia
.
He studied from 1795-1796 in the medical school
of St. Petersburg
. In the years 1800-1802 he traveled across Transcaucasia in the entourage of Count Apollo Mussin-Pushkin
(1760-1805). In 1805, he was part of a scientific team attached to the unsuccessful diplomatic mission of Count Yury Golovkin to China
. After the failure of the mission, he and many of the other scientists stayed on in Siberia to pursue their researches. In 1806, while in Yakutsk
, he heard about an intact woolly mammoth
carcass near the mouth of the Lena River
. He hastily arranged an expedition to the location where he was able to recover most of the skeleton, skin, and almost forty pounds of hair. At the time, and for almost a century after, this was the most complete mammoth known. He returned to St. Petersburg with his prize. The skeleton is now on display at The Museum of Zoology in Saint Petersburg, where it is known as the Adams mammoth
.
Later in his life, he taught as assistant professor for botanics at the Medico-Surgical Academy of Moscow
.
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
- 1 March 1838, Vereya
Vereya
Vereya is a town in Naro-Fominsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Protva River southwest of Moscow. Population: 6,500 ....
) was a botanist from St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
He studied from 1795-1796 in the medical school
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
of St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. In the years 1800-1802 he traveled across Transcaucasia in the entourage of Count Apollo Mussin-Pushkin
Apollo Mussin-Pushkin
Count Apollos Apollosovich Mussin-Pushkin was a Russian chemist and plant collector. He led a botanical expedition to the Caucasus in 1802....
(1760-1805). In 1805, he was part of a scientific team attached to the unsuccessful diplomatic mission of Count Yury Golovkin to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. After the failure of the mission, he and many of the other scientists stayed on in Siberia to pursue their researches. In 1806, while in Yakutsk
Yakutsk
With a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
, he heard about an intact woolly mammoth
Woolly mammoth
The woolly mammoth , also called the tundra mammoth, is a species of mammoth. This animal is known from bones and frozen carcasses from northern North America and northern Eurasia with the best preserved carcasses in Siberia...
carcass near the mouth of the Lena River
Lena River
The Lena is the easternmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean . It is the 11th longest river in the world and has the 9th largest watershed...
. He hastily arranged an expedition to the location where he was able to recover most of the skeleton, skin, and almost forty pounds of hair. At the time, and for almost a century after, this was the most complete mammoth known. He returned to St. Petersburg with his prize. The skeleton is now on display at The Museum of Zoology in Saint Petersburg, where it is known as the Adams mammoth
Adams mammoth
The Adams mammoth is the name given to the first complete woolly mammoth skeleton, with skin and flesh still attached, to be recovered by European scientists. The mammoth remains were discovered in 1799 in northeastern Siberia by Ossip Shumachov, an Evenki hunter...
.
Later in his life, he taught as assistant professor for botanics at the Medico-Surgical Academy of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.