The Father of Genetics

Variations among children of the same parents have mystified people for years. Sometimes there are parents who both have, for example, brown hair, but then their child has blonde hair. These strange differences in traits seemed to happen out of no reason, until Gregor Mendel came along. Experimenting with plants, he began the science of heredity, or genetics. There are many causes and effects of Gregor Mendel, including the help of other people, working at a monastery, and the development of genetics.

First, Gregor Mendel became interested in genetics by the help of other people. One person who had a great influence on him was F. Unger, who “was known for his views on evolution and had investigated the problem of plant variability by means of transplanting experiments” (Johann Gregor Mendel). Mendel was only a worker at a monastery at the time, but he listened to some of Unger’s lectures “on plant anatomy and physiology, the use of the microscope, and the practical organization of experiments” (Johann Gregor Mendel). This sparked an interest in Mendel, which caused him to create his own experiments. Without the presence of F. Unger in Mendel’s life, he may have never been introduced into the field of science, and he would not have had someone to base his work on. Not only was F. Unger a major role in Mendel’s life, but his family was important as well. At a young age, “his mother instilled in her only son a love for plants” (Cullen). This led to Mendel’s curiosity about heredity by having a love of plants ever since the beginning of his life. When Mendel began his experiments, he started out with pea plants, most likely because he had a certain passion for plants that came from his mother. Choosing pea plants was the right choi...

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... is still developing, helping the world understand living organisms and why they have certain traits.

Help from other people, working at a monastery, and the creation of genetics are all part of the causes and effects of Gregor Mendel. His work helped the world become what it is today in the field of science. Genetics allows scientists to understand why certain traits were passed, and is helping with the advancement of society. Because of Gregor Mendel, a new field of science was created that is still being expanded, explaining the world’s living things.

Works Cited

Cullen, Katherine. "Mendel, Gregor." Science Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.

“Johann Gregor Mendel.” Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Biography in Context. Web. 13 Mar. 2014

Yount, Lisa. "Mendel, Gregor." Science Online. Facts On File, Inc., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.