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Why Did Japanese Geneticists Take a Scientific Interest in Lysenko’s Theories?

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The Lysenko Controversy as a Global Phenomenon, Volume 2

Abstract

When Lysenko’s book Heredity and Its Variability was published in 1946, Western geneticists identified Lysenko’s misconceptions about modern genetics, but they did not develop scientific arguments about his biology any further. Unlike those in the West, Japanese geneticists expressed scientific interest in Lysenko’s theories. The question of why Lysenko’s idea was worthy of serious discussion for Japanese geneticists is answered by examining two problems: (1) How did they accept Lysenko’s biology under the unique conditions of the postwar period? and (2) With what primary subjects were Japanese geneticists concerned?

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Saito, H. (2017). Why Did Japanese Geneticists Take a Scientific Interest in Lysenko’s Theories?. In: deJong-Lambert, W., Krementsov, N. (eds) The Lysenko Controversy as a Global Phenomenon, Volume 2. Palgrave Studies in the History of Science and Technology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39179-3_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39179-3_5

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-39178-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-39179-3

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