Gregor Mendel Genius of Genetics

Gregor Mendel

"The Genius of Genetics"

BACKGROUND

Gregor Mendor was born the second of three children to Anton and Rosine Mendel on July 22, 1822 in Heizendorf (the Czech Republic. His given name was Johann. He was the son of a farmer who owned his own land and taught his son the value of hard work. The two of them spent many hours in their orchard and garden. This is where much of his learning began.

During his youth, Mendel studied science, plants and beekeeping He continued to excel in school and graduated with the highest honors from high school at age 18. Because his family was poor, Mendel struggled to complete his education. His sister contributed to help further his studies until he could find work. He had a strong zeal for knowledge and was an excellent student. His favorite subject was physics.

At age 21, Mendel was accepted into the Order of Saint Augustine and moved to the monastery. His name was changed to Gregor. He completed four years at BrÑŒnn Theological College and became an ordained priest at age 25.

Mendel began teaching high school students, mathematics on a temporary basis, but was unsuccessful passing the teaching exam to become a permanent teacher. He was 29 years old when he entered the University of Vienna to study physics, mathematics and natural history. There he also studied Anatomy and Physiology of Plants as well as the use of the microscope.

IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCIENCE

Mendel did experiments with garden peas. He read that nature follows certain rules and was very curious about plants and their parts and began to discover that changes do exist and there has to be a reason why.

For eight years, Mendel studied about traits in pea plants, and in 1865 wrote a book describing his observations on the inheritance of various characteristics in crossbred pea plants. Later known as Mendel's Laws, his famous principles of hereditary transmission were to revolutionize the cultivation of plants and the breeding of domesticated animals in the 20th century.

Biochemistry and molecular biology have found the basis of Mendel's Laws in form of gene expression in cells and gene transmission in the germ line. His work made it possible for the first time to exploit the genetic resources of organisms systematically. Mendel's name marks not only