Comrade Lysenko has seized control of Soviet agriculture with his radical ideas about genetics. He disdains traditional scientists who learn everything from books and nothing from the land, and those who question his methods soon find themselves in trouble with Stalin. Across the world, the abrasive Iowan farmer's son Norman Borlaug is also annoying experts with his big ideas. Both men are sure they can end starvation, but their approaches couldn't be more different.

See the show notes at timharford.com

Click here for details on how to preorder Tim's new book, The Measure of Everything: How Numbers Shape Us.

Comrade Lysenko has seized control of Soviet agriculture with his radical ideas about genetics. He disdains traditional scientists who learn everything from books and nothing from the land, and those who question his methods soon find themselves in trouble with Stalin. Across the world, the abrasive Iowan farmer's son Norman Borlaug is also annoying experts with his big ideas. Both men are sure they can end starvation, but their approaches couldn't be more different.
See the show notes at <a href="https://timharford.com/">timharford.com</a>
Click <a href="https://timharford.com/2026/11/announcing-my-new-book-the-measure-of-everything/" data-airgap-id="12">here</a> for details on how to preorder Tim's new book, The Measure of Everything: How Numbers Shape Us.

We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups – and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of “The Data Detective”) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, and hilarious fiascos. They'll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser. New episodes every Friday.

We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups &ndash; and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of &ldquo;The Data Detective&rdquo;) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, and hilarious fiascos. They'll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser. New episodes every Friday.

Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable life lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups – and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of “The Data Detective” and “The Undercover Economist”) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, daring heists and hilarious fiascos. They'll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser. New episodes every Friday.

We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable life lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups &ndash; and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of &ldquo;The Data Detective&rdquo; and &ldquo;The Undercover Economist&rdquo;) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, daring heists and hilarious fiascos. They'll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser. New episodes every Friday.

Bravo, Comrade Lysenko! The Man who Failed to Feed the USSR

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/4ece6019-6c10-41f4-b993-b50001677a98/transcript