Comrade Lysenko has seized control of Soviet agriculture with his radical ideas about genetics. He disdains traditional scientists who learn everything from books and nothing from the land, and those who question his methods soon find themselves in trouble with Stalin. Meanwhile, across the world the abrasive Iowan farmer’s son Norman Borlaug is also annoying experts with his big ideas. Both men are sure they can end starvation, but their approaches couldn’t be more different.
For ad-free listening, monthly behind-the-scenes conversations, our newsletter, and monthly bonus episodes including this one, please consider joining the Cautionary Club.
Further reading
This episode relied on the books The Lysenko Affair by David Joravsky, The Rise and Fall of T D Lysenko by Zhores Medvedev, Lysenko’s Ghost: Epigenetics and Russia by Loren Graham, Stalin and the Scientists: A History of Triumph and Tragedy by Simon Ings, and Our Daily Bread: The Essential Norman Borlaug by Norman Vietmeyer.
