GCSE Biology (AQA)

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Gregor Mendel

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Inheritance, Variation and Evolution The Development of Understanding of Gentics and Evolution

Gregor Mendel

2:28 Understanding Genetics
Spec 4.6.3.3
Previous Speciation Next Gene Theory
  • Gregor Mendel was an Austrian monk in the mid-19th century.
  • Born in 1822, Mendel conducted experiments by cross-breeding peas.
  • His work was not initially understood as the theory of genetics had not yet been developed.
  • Mendel experimented with peas having different characteristics like smooth, wrinkled, green, and yellow.
  • He observed that inheritance of traits is determined by specific units passed on to descendants unchanged.
  • Mendel referred to these units as being passed down to offspring.
  • His experiments showed that offspring inherit characteristics via these units from their parents.
  • Mendel's discoveries were not recognized until after his death because his work was published in an obscure journal and the concepts of genes or DNA were not yet discovered.
  • After Mendel's death, the behavior of chromosomes during cell division was observed, which helped validate his theories.
  • Scientists later repeated Mendel's experiments, observed the same results, and his theories were eventually accepted by the scientific community.

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