ohann Gregor Mendel was a biologist and ordained priest who conducted experiments in heredity. He used his resources at his monastery to grow thousands of pea plants, keeping detailed records and calculations that debunked the previous theory of “trait blending.” Although people largely didn’t recognize his work during his lifetime, his lengthy research showed that characteristics can be dominant or recessive and are passed on independently. These facts transformed the face of genetics.
Early Life and Education
Mendel was born to Rosine and Anton Mendel on July 22, 1822 in Heinzendorf, Austria, now Hynčice, Czech Republic. At the young age of 11, he and his family moved to Troppau so he could continue his education, and he graduated in 1840. From there, he attended the Philosophical Institute of the University of Olmütz, excelling in math and physics and graduating in 1843.
Following his graduation in Olmütz, he entered the St. Thomas Monastery in Brno, where he had access to a large amount of research materials. Although he was ordained in 1847, due in part to failing health, he temporarily stopped his civil work in the area and went to the University of Vienna. His study there prepared him to go back to the St. Thomas Monastery and take a teaching job at a secondary school. In this setting, he was able to begin the first of his experiments related to genetics.
