J. B. S. Haldane (opens in new tab)

Visited my 93yo father in the hospital today, who struggled to recover after a surgery and remembered that a book called 'My Friend Mr Leakey' was his favourite book as a child. I brought it along and read it to him aloud. Magical stories, like Roald Dahl, but all with scientific backgrounds of chemistry, physics and biology. Amazing stuff. My father lit up and talked about JBS Haldane's background at UCL, which his father had rebuilt after the war. Back home I started reading more about him and am purely amazed at this polymath's creative thinking in all matters.

A sticking point in the Wikipedia article is beneficial ambiguity regarding Haldane's departure from UCL and the UK.[1] He was a staunch Stalinist and a Lysenkoist.[2] At the time many of his Soviet peers were executed for being "reactionary", i.e. non-ideological. Haldane was well aware and did not condemn the atrocities. His wife disputed him over this and it nearly cost their marriage.[3] Charlotte his wife is negatively portrayed.[1] [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._B._S._Haldane#In_India [2]https://www.jstor.org/stable/4330841 [3]https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/how-stalin-manipulated-...