Table of Contents

Geology – 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 Freshwater Sponge Lubomirskia baicalensis: Implication in Rapid Evolution of Endemic Sponges.- Role of Biosilica in Morphogenesis.- Modelling the Skeletal Architecture in a Sponge with Radiate Accretive Growth.- Biosilica Formation.- Silicatein: Nanobiotechnological and Biomedical Applications.- Role of Biosilica in Materials Science.- 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 Application in Nanobiotechnology.