Vol. 12 No. 1 (2026): Anthropogenic Transformation of Nature

Today, neural networks write literature reviews, generate hypotheses, and process massive data sets in minutes. AI writes conference abstracts, article reviews, and even grant applications. The researcher becomes a problem: they read slowly, have biased thinking, and demand salaries. The algorithm operates around the clock, free of charge, and without intellectual property.Tomorrow, dissertations will cease to be evidence of thought. They will become reports on the correct model tuning. Universities will teach not how to think, but how to formulate queries for neural networks.But until tomorrow comes, we have prepared an interesting issue of the journal using natural intelligence. All the studies presented in this issue are united by a common environmental theme of anthropogenic transformation of the nature. The research focuses on the consequences of economic activity: from industrial mining and waste disposal to road construction and urbanization.E.V. Plakkhina and E.V. Zinovyev are studying ground beetles in an urban botanical garden as a refugium, a rarity in urban ecology. A.A. Kadetova and Yu.A. Melnikova focus on dynamics: the transformation of small mammal populations during succession. Yu.A. Manakov and O.A. Kupriyanov pose not just an ecological but a management problem: developing a strategy for preserving rare plants in the context of active mining activities, which presupposes resolving the conflict between extensive nature management and nature conservation.V.A. Androkhanov proposes a theory for the reclamation of disturbed lands. V.S. Artamonova is testing bioremediation methods. T.A. Musikhina is investigating pollution sources: motor vehicles and roads constructed from industrial waste. Azerbaijani researcher I.A. Guliyev stands out both geographically (Absheron) and methodologically – through the use of remote sensing.Anthropogenic transformation is studied using a wide range of methods: from beetles and small mammals to satellite imagery and reclamation theory.