Gregor Mendel

   

Gregor Mendel: The Father of Genetics 

In October 1843, a young man named Gregor Mendel, the son of peasant farmers from Silesia, joined the Abbey of St. Augustine in Brno. The monks of the abbey, who valued science as much as religion, had relocated to a deteriorating structure after falling out of favor with Emperor Joseph II. Despite its condition, the abbey housed a beautiful garden and an extensive library with nearly ten thousand books on natural history, geology, and astronomy. 

Mendel was ordained as a priest on August 6, 1847, but his true calling lay in academics rather than pastoral duties. The responsibilities of visiting the sick and dying weighed heavily on him, leading the abbot to support his pursuit of a teaching career. However, becoming a certified teacher required passing a government examination, which Mendel attempted but failed. Realizing he needed formal education, he traveled to Vienna to study mathematics, physics, and plant physiology. He also trained in microscopy. After two years, he returned to Brno, retook the exam, but failed again. Accepting that certification was not his path, he turned to scientific experimentation instead. 

Mendel’s Groundbreaking Pea Plant Experiments 

Mendel's fascination with gardening led him to study inheritance in pea plants. He observed that true-breeding plants passed distinct traits—such as height (tall or short) and flower color (purple or white)—to their offspring. He questioned how traits were transmitted across generations and began hybridization experiments. Initially, he considered using field mice, but the abbot disapproved of such studies. Thus, Mendel returned to working with plants. 

His experiments revealed that when he crossed tall and short plants, the offspring were always tall—contradicting the idea of trait blending. Similarly, round and wrinkled seeds produced only round seeds in the first generation. However, when he bred these hybrids together, the recessive traits—such as short plants or wrinkled seeds—reappeared in later generations in predictable ratios. Mendel concluded that traits are inherited as discrete units, with one variant (dominant) masking the other (recessive) in hybrids. Though he did not name them, he had effectively discovered genes. 

Mendel’s Work Goes Unrecognized 

On February 8, 1865, Mendel presented his findings at the Natural Science Society in Brno. His paper was later published in the society’s annual proceedings and sent to scientific institutions in England and the United States. However, his work received little attention, cited only four times between 1866 and 1900. For decades, Mendel’s discoveries remained largely unnoticed, and his contributions to genetics were nearly forgotten. 

It was not until the early 20th century—long after his death—that Mendel’s principles of inheritance were rediscovered, forming the foundation of modern genetics. Today, he is recognized as the "Father of Genetics," and his work continues to influence the study of heredity and evolution.