Valdimir Vernadsky was a renowned Russian-Ukrainian mineralogist who introduced the concept of noosphere or the sphere of human cognizance. Born into a family of educators, he developed an interest in natural sciences at an early age. His interest in mineralogy was sparked by the works of soil scientist Vasily Dokuchaev and geologist Alexey Pavlov. He started his academic career working under famed mineralogist Paul Groth, who classified minerals on the basis of their chemical compositions and crystal structures. Working under Paul he was introduced to crystallography and studied in detail the structure and composition of aluminosilicates. He also explored the effect of geological forces in formation of compound in the earth’s crust. He laid the foundations for development of geochemistry through his studies on radioactivity and how it can be used as a source of thermal energy. His breakthrough contribution was however, the theory of interdependence of geosphere, biosphere and noosphere. His ideas were criticised but he continued his research and became a pioneer of environmental sciences. As a proponent of alternative source of energy, he strongly advised against exploitation of nuclear power, in particular nuclear weaponisation. To know more about the life and works of this erudite geochemist read on