ABSTRACT
Gregor Mendel presented and published his genetic studies of garden peas only a few years after Charles Darwin published his book on natural selection. However, while Darwin became a celebrity, Mendel’s publication was met with puzzlement and skepticism and was essentially ignored until well after his death. When rediscovered early in the twentieth century, his single publication, supported by publications from three other scientists, became the foundation of classical genetics. Mendel began his experiments long before he published the work, and at one point, he was convinced to give up on the experiments. He resumed the experiments a few years later and ultimately presented his results at a scientific meeting on March 8, 1865. The work was published in 1866. Most who listened to, or read, his results failed to understand the significance, and many dismissed the findings, as they were contrary to some ideas about inheritance at the time. To be fair, his presentation and discussion of the results failed to clearly define the tenets of what is now called Mendelian genetics and Mendelian inheritance. Also, the relatively lengthy publication was in German, which limited its distribution and exposure. Over the next several decades, the publication was cited three times in the scientific literature. But, in 1900 (14 years after Mendel’s death), Hugo de Vries, Carl Correns, and Erich von Tschermak-Seysenegg independently rediscovered, confirmed, and publicized Mendel’s work. However, while the term genetics was coined in 1905 by William Bateson, the units of inheritance (i.e., the genes), their organization, and their molecular nature were not clarified until later in the twentieth century. Today, classical Mendelian genetics is focused on determining how genes are segregated and inherited each generation. While it basically follows genes as they exist in diploid organisms, its principles are applicable to bacteria, archaea, and eukarya (in general).
