Lysenko's Ghost

"Epigenetics, a new field in biology, has shown that in some instances organisms can inherit characteristics acquired by their ancestors during their lifetimes, a view that was discredited during most of the twentieth century. Trofim Lysenko, a Russian agronomist long considered a charlatan, was a strong advocate of the inheritance of acquired characteristics. In the last few years a number of Russian science writers and scientists have claimed that epigenetics proves that Lysenko was right after all. This book evaluates that claim."--Provided by publisher.