Gregor Mendel
Father of modern genetics, whose pea plant experiments revealed the laws of heredity.
He gained posthumous recognition as the founder of the modern science of genetics.[1] His pea plant experiments between 1856 and 1863 established many rules of heredity now called Mendelian inheritance.[1] Born on 20 July 1822 and dying on 6 January 1884, Gregor Johann Mendel was an Austrian biologist, meteorologist, mathematician, Augustinian friar, and served as abbot of St. Thomas' Abbey in Brno, Margraviate of Moravia.[2]
Quick Facts
- Birth name
- Johann Mendel
- Born
- 20 July 1822
- Birthplace
- Heinzendorf bei Odrau, Silesia, Austrian Empire
- Died
- 6 January 1884
- Place of death
- Brno, Moravia, Austria-Hungary
- Education
- University of Olmütz; University of Vienna
- Known for
- Founder of the modern science of genetics
- Field
- Genetics
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
After he was elevated as abbot in 1868, his scientific work largely ended due to administrative responsibilities.[3] Mendel's birthplace was Heinzendorf bei Odrau in Silesia, part of the Austrian Empire (now Hynčice, Czech Republic), and his family spoke German.[4] Abbot Cyril František Napp sponsored Mendel's studies at the University of Vienna, where he was sent in 1851.[5] Chronic nephritis caused Mendel's death on 6 January 1884, when he was 61 years old.[3]
What the cited sources add
The genome.gov account describes Mendel as an Austrian monk who worked out basic laws of inheritance through pea plant experiments.[6] That source adds that Mendel's modes of inheritance using single genes are only one of the few ways genes can influence traits.[6] According to the Masaryk University Mendel Museum online exhibition, William Jasper Spillman was one of several researchers who independently confirmed some of Mendel's experimental customs.[7]
References
- Wikipedia, "Gregor Mendel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Klein, "Solitude of a Humble Genius – Gregor Johann Mendel. Volume 1, Formative years", Springer, 2013, p. 91–103; Schacherer, "Beyond the simplicity of Mendelian inheritance", Comptes Rendus Biologies, 2016, p. 284–288 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Gregor Mendel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Funeral card in Czech (Brno, 6. January 1884); "CV", Mendel Museum; De Castro, "Johann Gregor Mendel: paragon of experimental science", Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine, Jan 2016, p. 3–8; "Mendel, Johann (Gregor)", genome.gov; Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 50, 2014 (2): 43–51 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Gregor Mendel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Windle, "Mendel, Mendelism", 1911; Funeral card in Czech (Brno, 6. January 1884) (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Gregor Mendel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Funeral card in Czech (Brno, 6. January 1884); Klein, "Solitude of a Humble Genius – Gregor Johann Mendel. Volume 1, Formative years", Springer, 2013, p. 91–103 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Gregor Mendel" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Henig 2000, p. 24; Fisher, "The Mathematics of Inheritance", Online Museum Exhibition, 1933, p. 1012 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Mendel, Johann (Gregor)", genome.gov. facts only, no text reused. genome.gov
- "Online Museum Exhibition", The Masaryk University Mendel Museum. facts only, no text reused. mendel-museum.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Gregor Mendel (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Notable Figures
Elsewhere in Historical Figures
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced