Source: The History of Biology de Erik Nordenskiöld, Ed. Knopf, 1928 (domaine public), Wikimedia Commons

The study of genetics begins with an Austrian monk named Gregor Mendel. Mendel was born in 1822 in Heinzendorf, Austria. At the age of 18, Mendel went to study science and mathematics at the University of Vienna.

When he was 21, Mendel joined the monastery in what is now Czechoslovakia. While at the monastery, Mendel was in charge of the garden. In this garden is where Mendel would unlock the secrets of genetics and change biology forever.

Watch the following video to learn more about Gregor Mendel.

What did you learn?

Answer the following questions about Mendel on your own piece of paper. Check your answers after you are finished.

Questions	Answers
1. Why is Gregor Mendel an important name in science?	Interactive popup. Assistance may be required. Check Your Answer Gregor Mendel was the first person to discover the pattern that traits follow. He is known as the "Father of Genetics."
2. What were some of the things that Mendel observed as he worked in the garden?	Interactive popup. Assistance may be required. Check Your Answer Gregor Mendel observed that some of the traits were clear and distinct; some plants were tall, some were short, some of the seeds were round, some were wrinkled.
3. Did Mendel use scientific methods for his experiment? If so, explain the steps that he took.	Interactive popup. Assistance may be required. Check Your Answer Yes, Mendel observed that the traits were clear and distinct. He hypothesized about how the traits were passed from one generation to the next and experimented with thousands of pea plants. He analyzed his results and then published his work for the scientific community to review.
4. Summarize the results of Mendel's experiment.	Interactive popup. Assistance may be required. Check Your Answer Mendel used plants that were pure breeding as the parental generation. He cross-pollinated the parent plants and found that all of the offspring showed the dominant trait. He then cross-pollinated the offspring and found that the recessive phenotype returned.
5. How did Mendel differentiate between the two traits?	Interactive popup. Assistance may be required. Check Your Answer Mendel called the one that showed up more often the dominant trait and the "weaker" one the recessive trait.