Mendel & Genetics

• Who is known for the work that led to the understanding of genetics?

  Gregor Mendel
• What are genes?

  Sections of DNA on a chromosome
• What do alleles represent?

  Different versions of a gene
• What type of experiments did Mendel conduct?

  Breeding experiments on pea plants
• What misconception did many scientists have about inheritance during Mendel's time?

  Characteristics were blended when inherited
• What did Mendel conclude about the inheritance of characteristics?

  They are determined by inherited units
• What are the inherited units that Mendel referred to?

  Genes
• What happens to some characteristics in later generations according to Mendel?

  They can be masked and reappear
• What happened to Mendel's work after he published it?

  It was largely forgotten
• When was Mendel's work rediscovered?

  In the late 1800s
• How did scientists connect Mendel's units to chromosomes?

  They observed chromosome behavior during cell division
• What significant discovery was made about genes in the mid-1900s?

  The structure of DNA and gene function
• What are the key contributions of Gregor Mendel to genetics?

  • Conducted breeding experiments on pea plants
  • Discovered that characteristics are inherited as units
  • Identified dominant and recessive alleles
  • His work was initially unrecognized
  • Rediscovered in the late 1800s, linking genes to chromosomes
• What is the significance of Mendel's work in the context of genetics?

  • Established foundational principles of inheritance
  • Clarified misconceptions about blending of traits
  • Laid groundwork for modern genetics and DNA research
• Briefly outline the discoveries made after Mendel's work that built on his discovery of 'hereditary units'.

  Include how these led to our current understanding of genes.

  • In the late 1800s, scientists observed how chromosomes behaved during cell division
  • In the early 20th century, scientists realised the similarities between how chromosomes and Mendel's 'hereditary units' acted
  • It was proposed that 'units' were found on chromosomes which are now called genes
  • In the mid-20th century, the structure of DNA was determined
  • Allowed for scientists to discover how genes worked