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Here’s what happens when you put politicians in charge of science

The Soviets did it, and it didn’t end well

A black and white historical photograph of Trofim Lysenko measuring wheat heads in a field. Lysenko is kneeling and squinting at part of the plant. He has slicked-back hair and is wearing a pin on his jacket. Two men on the right side of the photo bend over him. Both are wearing brimmed, flat-topped caps. The man in the middle of the photo has a long beard.

Agronomist Trofim Lysenko (kneeling) rejected Mendelian genetics and imposed scientifically unsound practices on collective farms in the Soviet Union in the 1930s. Crops, like the wheat he is shown measuring here, failed and contributed to starvation for millions of people.

SovfotoUIG/Alamy

By Tina Hesman Saey

This is a human-written story voiced by AI.