Who is Mendel and what are his laws?
Answer
Gregor Mendel (1822–1884) was an Austrian monk and scientist known as the “father of modern genetics.” While working in the garden of his monastery, he performed controlled breeding experiments on pea plants and discovered the basic principles of heredity. His work, published in 1866, went largely unnoticed during his lifetime but later became the foundation of classical genetics.
Mendel’s Laws of Inheritance
Mendel discovered three major principles, now called Mendel’s Laws:
1. Law of Segregation
Each organism carries two copies (alleles) of every gene, one from each parent.
These alleles segregate (separate) during the formation of gametes (eggs and sperm), so each gamete contains only one allele.
At fertilization, offspring receive one allele from each parent.
Simplified:
Alleles separate, and offspring get one allele from each parent.
2. Law of Independent Assortment
Genes for different traits are passed independently of one another, as long as they are on different chromosomes or far apart on the same chromosome.
Simplified:
The inheritance of one trait does not usually affect the inheritance of another.
3. Law of Dominance
When two different alleles are present, one may mask the expression of the other.
The expressed allele is dominant; the hidden one is recessive.
Simplified:
Dominant alleles overpower recessive ones in hybrids.