Alexander Panichev | Life Sciences | Best Researcher Award

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Mr. Alexander Panichev | Life Sciences | Best Researcher Award

Russian Academy of Sciences | Russia

Mr. Alexander Panichev is a leading scholar in medical geology and geochemistry whose pioneering research has reshaped global understanding of geophagy–lithophagy in animals and humans. Throughout his long scientific career, he has focused on uncovering the fundamental causes, ecological drivers, and physiological mechanisms behind the instinctive consumption of earth materials. His interdisciplinary work bridges geology, biology, medicine, and geography, contributing a robust conceptual framework explaining geophagy as an autoregulatory response linked to mineral imbalance and rare earth element (REE) disruption in the neuroimmunoendocrine system. Panichev’s breakthrough discovery of an ion-exchange mechanism in organisms, along with his evidence-based theory identifying REEs as critical factors influencing mineral homeostasis, has opened new dimensions in understanding stress adaptation, ecosystem health, and geochemically conditioned endemic diseases. His research has revealed connections between REE anomalies and a spectrum of pathologies, including neurodegenerative, fibrotic, and hematopoietic disorders, offering novel perspectives for future biomedical and ecological applications. He has authored over 240 scientific works, including dozens of high-impact journal publications and multiple books that have significantly influenced the fields of geochemistry, environmental health, and medical geography. Panichev’s publication metrics reflect the global relevance of his work, with Scopus recording 273 citations across 47 documents with an h-index of 10, and Google Scholar showing substantially higher citation visibility across his extensive body of literature. His contributions continue to advance scientific inquiry and interdisciplinary collaboration, positioning him as a distinguished candidate for the Best Researcher Award.

Publication Profile

Scopus

Featured Publications

  • Panichev, A., & Golokhvast, K. (2025). Major and minor causes of geophagy–lithophagy in animals and humans. Geosciences, 15, 75.

  • [Authors list incomplete in source]. (2025). Geophagy among wild ungulates in landscapes of Yakutia with low contents of rare earth elements. Bulletin of the Tomsk Polytechnic University Geo Assets Engineering.
    (Citation data: 0; Journal reference: 2025. Full author list not visible in provided text.)

  • Lebedeva, E., Panichev, A., Kiselev, K., Ruseva, Y., & Zaitseva, E. (2024). Taxonomic composition and physiological and biochemical properties of cultivated microorganisms isolated from kudurite rocks of the Primorsky Krai and the Republic of Altai (Russia). Microbe, 5, 100214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.microb.2024.100214

  • Panichev, A., Baranovskaya, N., Chekryzhov, I., Ivanov, V., & Ysatska, A. (2024). An unusual variety of geophagy: Coal consumption by snow sheep in the Transbaikalia Mountains. Doklady Earth Sciences, 507(1), 964–967. https://doi.org/10.1134/s1028334x22700453