Gregor Mendel and History of genetics

• Who is considered the founding father of genetics?

  Gregor Mendel
• What was Gregor Mendel's profession?

  Austrian scientist and monk
• What did farmers know about crossbreeding by the 1800s?

  It could lead to more favorable offspring
• What did Mendel study in his experiments?

  Traits of pea plants
• Which traits did Mendel observe in pea plants?

  Height, flower color, pod color
• What was the first experiment Mendel conducted with pea plants?

  • Crossed a green pea plant with a yellow pea plant
  • All offspring were yellow pea plants
• What was the result when Mendel crossed two yellow pea plants?

  Three quarters were yellow, one quarter green
• What did Mendel conclude about hereditary units?

  They can be dominant or recessive
• When are recessive hereditary units expressed?

  When inherited from both parents
• What did Mendel's yellow pea plants carry in the second generation?

  Hereditary units for green pods
• Why did the green pod plant appear in the third generation?

  It had two copies of the recessive unit
• What pattern did Mendel find in his experiments with traits?

  • Traits are passed down in a dominant-recessive manner
  • This pattern was consistent across different traits
• What did scientists not know about during Mendel's time?

  DNA or genes
• What discovery was made towards the end of the 1800s?

  Chromosomes were discovered
• What did scientists notice about chromosomes in the early 1900s?

  Similarities to Mendel's hereditary units
• What term do we use today for Mendel's hereditary units?

  Genes
• What significant structure of DNA was discovered in the 1950s?

  Double helix structure
• What was achieved in 2003 regarding human DNA?

  The entire human genome was sequenced
• What is the historical significance of Mendel's work?

  • Laid the foundation for genetics
  • His discoveries were recognized decades later