Expert: Dana Krempels, Ph.D. - 1/5/2012

Question
Hi Dr Dana Krempels,

What is Lysenko and why so much hue and cry on it?

Answer
Dear Nawd,

To learn more about what Lysenkoism is, please read:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysenkoism

But note that there is more than one way to describe this, and I'm not sure which one you are asking.  If it's about inheritance of acquired characteristics, then you might find the field of epigenetics enlightening:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/epigenetics.html

The discovery that some acquired traits can be inherited not as mutations, but as repackaging of the DNA, was hugely controversial at first, as it went against everything that was understood about DNA replication and inheritance at the time.  But the more we understand about how DNA changes during an organism's life, the better we can understand how the germline can actually be altered by environmental effects on the organism.  It's a relatively new field, fascinating, and rapidly expanding.

Hope this helps.

Dana