Gregor Mendel

genetics · heredity · science · plants

Father of Genetics. Gregor Mendel was an Austrian friar and scientist who figured out how traits like flower color and seed shape get passed down from parent plants to their children. His discoveries became the foundation of modern genetics, even though nobody really understood how important his work was until after he died.

Pea Plant Experiments. Between 1856 and 1863, Mendel grew tens of thousands of pea plants in his monastery garden and carefully tracked which traits appeared in each generation. He noticed clear patterns, like how some traits always showed up while others disappeared, and he used math to explain exactly what was happening.

Laws of Inheritance. Mendel discovered that traits are inherited in predictable ways, not randomly. He found that each parent passes down invisible instructions (what we now call genes) that determine things like plant height and flower color, and these instructions follow mathematical rules.

Careful Observer. What made Mendel special wasn't just experimenting, but being incredibly careful and precise. He counted every single pea and flower, kept detailed records, and used math to see patterns that nobody else had noticed before.

Recognized Too Late. Mendel's groundbreaking work was mostly forgotten during his lifetime, but scientists rediscovered it around 1900 and realized he had solved one of nature's greatest mysteries about how life passes on its traits.