National Geographic Russia in December

The December issue of National Geographic Russia is now available. Inside:

The Chemistry of Taste: Man’s ability to distinguish tastes helped our ancestors survive. Today, our almost unhealthy interest in food is spurring on research into taste sensations.

The Avocet: In the Stepnoi nature reserve in the Astrakhan region, visitors can encounter the extraordinary and extremely rare avocet birds, with their long legs and curved beaks.

The Collector Priest: Father Sergei from Zvenigorod near Moscow, who has been collecting butterflies for many years talks about his pastime and, uncharacteristic for a clergyman, his interest in ethnology and search for beauty.

The Kingdom of Laponia: Sweden’s Laponia is a primeval world that is almost unchanged since the dawn of civilization, a place with breathtaking scenery, one of the world’s largest oases of untouched nature that spans four national parks, and a UNESCO World Heritage Center.