Science advances through experimentation, debate, and the free exchange of ideas. History shows that when political ideology overrides scientific integrity, the consequences can be severe. One of the clearest examples of this is Lysenkoism, a pseudoscientific movement led by Trofim Lysenko in the Soviet Union. Instead of promoting progress, Lysenkoism hindered genuine scientific inquiry, caused agricultural failure, and pushed Soviet biological science back by decades. Trofim Lysenko gained prominence in the late 1920s and 1930s by promoting the idea that acquired traits could be inherited, a claim that directly contradicted established principles of Mendelian genetics and Darwinian evolution. Rooted in Lamarckism, his ideas appealed to Joseph Stalin’s regime because they aligned with communist ideology, which emphasized the malleability of nature and society. Lysenko argued that by exposing plants to specific environmental conditions, their offspring would develop favorable traits, al...
I like Sri Lanka as a country: small, isolated island with limited resources and a long history of internal instability, yet its people remain among the most civilised and socially grounded in South Asia. Despite decades of conflict, Sri Lanka has managed to achieve better human development indicators than most countries in the region. That contrast alone makes it worth paying attention to. The Sri Lankan civil war, which lasted from 1983 to 2009, grew out of ethnic exclusion rather than inevitability. Policies that sidelined the Tamil minority, especially language and political marginalisation, slowly turned grievances into armed rebellion. The state responded primarily through force, and while it eventually defeated the LTTE, the cost was enormous. What stands out to me, however, is that even during this prolonged conflict, Sri Lanka kept much of its economy functioning. The fighting stayed largely confined to specific regions, allowing industries like tea, garments, tourism, and por...