Episode 4: The Heroic Story of Nikolai Vavilov and the Saviors of the Seeds

Come gather around the campfire and let me tell you about a small group of Russian scientists who gave everything to protect the future of humanity's food supply during the brutal 900-day Siege of Leningrad. Hear about the life of their fearless leader, world-famous botanist and geneticist Nikolai Vavilov who established the first seed bank in history and dedicated his life to ending famine. It took the fall of Imperial Russia, the rise of Stalin and the Soviet Union, and two world wars to finally separate Vavilov from his work. This man really loved his plants. And if you ate something today, Vavilov's work probably had a hand in it. Let's talk about why.
**This episode includes sensitive content (CW: war, starvation, torture). Listener discretion is advised.**
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Music by: Zoliborz

A LOT of the information for this episode came from the book "Cosmos, Possible Worlds" by Ann Dryuyan. Give it a read if you can! Also I apologize once again to the Russian people for butchering every Russian name in this story.

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