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Gregor Mendel

10 questions · Science

Gregor Mendel, born in Moravia in 1822, was not a university professor but an Augustinian friar in a monastery in Brno and yet he founded an entire science. In his monastery garden he raised thousands of pea plants over the years and crossed them systematically: tall with short, smooth with wrinkled, green with yellow seeds. Patiently he counted and calculated and discovered clear numerical ratios behind inheritance. Some traits seem to vanish in one generation but reappear in the next. Mendel realised that there are "dominant" and "recessive" factors, passed on independently of one another. With this he formulated the basic rules of inheritance: today Mendel's laws. But his work, published in 1866, went almost entirely unnoticed; the scientific world was not yet ready for it, and Mendel soon became abbot with administrative duties. He died in 1884, never suspecting the revolution he had set in motion. Only around 1900 did several researchers independently rediscover his results and grasp their significance. Today the modest friar is regarded as the "father of genetics", and his peas stand at the beginning of the modern science of heredity.

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What was Gregor Mendel by profession?

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friar (Augustinian)

In a monastery in Brno.

💡 Did you know? Mendel was an Augustinian monk who ran his groundbreaking experiments in his monastery garden.

What did Mendel experiment with?

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peas

He crossed thousands of them over years.

💡 Did you know? On over 28,000 pea plants, Mendel patiently studied how traits are inherited.

Which science did Mendel found?

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genetics

He found the basic rules of inheritance.

💡 Did you know? Mendel is regarded as the founder of genetics: decades before anyone even knew genes existed.

What are the heredity rules the Augustinian friar from Brno found in peas called?

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Mendel's laws

About dominant and recessive traits.

💡 Did you know? Mendel's laws explain why children inherit traits from their parents and grandparents.

Which two kinds of factors did Mendel distinguish?

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dominant and recessive

Recessive traits can skip a generation.

💡 Did you know? Mendel recognised that „dominant“ traits prevail, while „recessive“ ones can skip a generation.

When was Mendel's work recognised?

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around 1900 (after death)

Rediscovered by several researchers at once.

💡 Did you know? Mendel's work was ignored in his lifetime: only around 1900, 16 years after his death, was it rediscovered.

Gregor Mendel

Foto: Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Which scientist is shown here?

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Gregor Mendel

Gregor Mendel was an Augustinian monk who discovered the basic laws of heredity with pea plants and founded genetics.

💡 Did you know? His discoveries drew little notice in his lifetime and were rediscovered only about 16 years after his death.

In which year was Gregor Mendel born?

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1822

Born: 20 July 1822 in Heinzendorf (now Czech Republic)

In which year did Gregor Mendel die?

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1884

Died: 6 January 1884 in Brno, aged 61

Where was Gregor Mendel born?

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Hynčice

Born: 20 July 1822 in Heinzendorf (now Hynčice, Czech Republic)

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