Lysenko Lives?

When Trofim D. Lysenko took control of biology in the Soviet Union, The New York Times explained it would be “just as if we had to accept Republican or Democratic dictation in scientific reasoning, depending upon which of the two major parties happens to be in power” (New York Times 1948: E6). It was 1948 -- the year of the Berlin Airlift, communist coup in Czechoslovakia, founding of Israel and launch of the Marshall Plan; the start of the Cold War. At a session of the Lenin AllUnion Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Moscow Lysenko declared genetics was a fascist science practiced by worshippers of Wall Street. The “gene theory” had provided the rationale for racism, colonization and the exploitation of the working class. With the words--“The Central Committee of the Party has examined my report and approved it”-- Lysenko launched a purge of genetics that would be terme

“… este empreendimento brasileiro…” Uma breve biografia de Theodosius Dobzhansky antes de sua chegada ao Brasil

This paper describes life and career of Theodosius Dobzhansky (1900-1975) until he arrived in Brazil in 1943. During his years in Russia, Dobzhansky began his entomology studies and undertook research expeditions to Central Asia to study livestock, which focused on speciation biology. Once he arrived in the United States Dobzhansky began working with Drosophila melanogaster with Thomas Hunt Morgan (1866-1945) at Columbia University. Once Morgan relocated to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Dobzhansky started collaborating with his colleague, Alfred Henry Sturtevant (1891-1970), on studies of a wild cousin of Drosophila melanogaster, Drosophila pseudoobscura. Dobzhansky and Sturtevant’s friendship and collaboration suffered due to several factors, including most importantly, their differing approaches to Drosophila pseudoobscura as influenced by their different conceptions of the purpose of their work. While Sturtevant studied the flies using the same techniques as his studies of the domestic Drosophila melanogaster, Dobzhansky studied Drosophila pseudoobscura in the field considering his broader dictum that “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” Este artigo descreve a vida e carreira de Theodosius Dobzhansky (1900-1975) antes de sua chegada ao Brasil em 1943. Durante os anos em que vivia na Russia Dobzhansky iniciou seus estudos de entomologia e realizou expedições científicas a Ásia Central para estudar animais domésticos com foco na especiação. Ao chegar nos Estados Unidos, ele começou a trabalhar com Drosophila melanogaster com Thomas Hunt Morgan (1866-1945) na Universidade de Colúmbia. Quando Morgan se mudou para o California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Dobzhansky começou a colaborar com seu colega Alfred Henry Sturtevant (1891-1970) estudando o primo selvagem de Drosophila melanogaster, Drosophila pseudoobscura. A amizade e colaboração entre Dobzhansky e Sturtevant sofreu devido a vários fatores, sendo talvez o mais importante os diferentes enfoques adotados em suas investigações sobre Drosophila pseudoobscura guiados por suas diferentes concepções. Enquanto Surtevant estudava as moscas utilizando as mesmas técnicas empregadas nas investigações da mosca doméstica Drosophila melanogaster, Dobzhansky estudou Drosophila pseudoobscura no campo considerando o dictum: “Nada em biologia faz sentido exceto à luz da evolução”.