Mikhail Woronin

Mikhail Stepanovich Voronin (also spelled Woronin; Russian: Михаи́л Степа́нович Воро́нин) was a prominent Russian biologist (botanist), with particular expertise in fungi.

Voronin was born in St Petersburg on 21 June/July (2 July/August old calendar) 1838 into the family of a rich merchant, which was subsequently ennobled.

He received an excellent home education. One of his teachers was Nikolai Chernyshevsky (still a student, but later to become a famous Russian writer). M.S. Voronin had a perfect command of three foreign languages: French, German and English.

In 1854 Voronin entered Saint Petersburg State University (the Department of Natural Sciences). Professor Lev Semionovich Tsenkovsky excited in him an interest in investigating the lower plants, among which fungi were placed that time. In 1858 he graduated from the University, after which, according to the recommendation of L.S. Tsenkovsky, he went with his friend, A.S. Famintsyn, to probation to Freiburg University (Germany) to Professor de Bary.

Although de Bary intensively investigated fungi, he suggested that Voronin study anatomical peculiarities of the shrub, Calycanthus. Voronin's first scientific article, published in the journal "Botanische Zeitung" (1860) was devoted to this question. Later on friends were introduced to the renowned algologist, G. Ture, who proposed that Voronin investigate phases of development of the Mediterranean alga, Acetabularia. M.S. Voronin thoroughly studied the ontogenesis of Acetabularia and demonstrated that it was the initial stage in the developmental cycle of other forms of algae. As a result, a large amount of experimental data was accumulated, which underlay Voronin's Masters dissertation "Investigations of sea algae". He successfully defended this work in St Petersburg University in May 1861.

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