Thoughts in Tangles

Science thrives on rigorous experimentation, peer review, and an open exchange of ideas. However, history has shown that when political ideology takes precedence over scientific integrity, the consequences can be disastrous. One of the most infamous examples of this is Lysenkoism—a pseudoscientific movement led by Trofim Lysenko in the Soviet Union. Lysenkoism not only stifled genuine scientific progress but also led to widespread agricultural failures, purges of dissenting scientists, and a significant setback in Soviet biological research. Trofim Lysenko, an agronomist, rose to prominence in the late 1920s and 1930s by promoting the idea that acquired characteristics could be inherited—a direct challenge to Mendelian genetics and Darwinian evolution. This theory, known as Lamarckism, was politically appealing to Joseph Stalin’s government, which sought a rapid transformation of agriculture to meet ideological goals. Lysenko claimed that by exposing plants to specific environmental c...