This Day in History: 1822-07-20

Gregor Mendel, founder of the science of genetics, was born this day in 1822. His experiments on pea plants between 1856 and 1863 led to an understanding of dominant and recessive gene types and frequencies, later known as Mendel’s laws. Combined with Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, Mendel’s work formed the basis of modern evolutionary biology. Unfortunately, Mendel’s work was not recognized in his lifetime.