Mendel, Gregor Johann
Mendel, Gregor Johann (1822-1884), Austrian monk, known as the father of modern genetics . He developed the principles of heredity by studying the variation and heredity of seven pairs of inherited characteristics in pea plants. Although the significance of his work was not recognized during his lifetime, it became the basis for the present day field of genetics. Mendel was born on July 22, 1822, to a peasant family in Heinzendorf (now Hynčice, Czech Republic). He entered the Augustinian monastery at Brünn (now Brno, Czech Republic), which was known as a center of learning and scientific endeavor. He later became a substitute teacher at the technical school in Brünn. There Mendel became actively engaged in investigating variation, heredity, and evolution in plants at the monastery's experimental garden. Between 1856 and 1863 he cultivated and tested at least 28,000 pea plants, carefully analyzing seven pairs of seed and plant characteristics. His tedious experiments resulted in t...