www.blueshiftbiotech.com

Gregor Mendel was born Johann Mendel on July 20, 1822 in what is today the Czech Republic. As a young man he worked as a gardener and beekeeper. After attending his local school he studied at the University of Olomouc, one of the oldest universities in Central Europe. In 1843 he entered the Augustinian Abbey of Saint Thomas in Brno. Upon entering the abbey, he chose the name Gregor. In 1851 the abbot of St. Thomas sponsored Gregor to study at the University of Vienna. In 1853 Mendel returned to the abbey as a teacher. It was during this time he began his ground breaking work on genetics using Pisum sativum, the humble garden pea.

Mendel chose the pea since it was a flowering plant that could be grown in large numbers and its reproduction could be easily manipulated. Peas have male and female reproductive organs and can either self-pollinate or cross pollinate with other plants. He cross pollinated purebred plants with differing characteristics such as smooth or wrinkled skins, purple or white flowers, and yellow or green pods. Mendel cultivated and recorded the results for nearly 29,000 pea plants. His results proved that inherited traits are carried on both dominant and recessive alleles. These became known as Mendel’s Laws of Inheritance.