Genetics: “Father of Genetics”: Gregor Mendel born 200 years ago
heredity
“Father of genetics”: Gregor Mendel born 200 years ago
A statue in the garden of the Augustinian monastery in Brno, Czech Republic, commemorates the monk and botanist Gregor Johann Mendel. photo
© Michael Heitmann/dpa
His rules of inheritance are now taught in schools. But Mendel’s discoveries remained unappreciated during his lifetime. In the Augustinian monastery in Brno, much is reminiscent of the great botanist and monk.
The garden of the Augustinian abbey in Brno, Czech Republic, is like no other: this is exactly where Gregor Johann Mendel once carried out his famous experiments with peas. In doing so, he developed his rules of inheritance, which laid the foundation for modern genetics. On July 20, the multifaceted priest and natural scientist would have turned 200 years old.
