Introduction
The Augustinian monk Gregor Mendel (1822-84) discovered the principles of heredity by doing experiments on pea plants in his monastery garden in Brünn, Austria. His work on the laws of unit inheritance and the segregation and assortment of "factors" that determine traits was published by the local natural history society in 1865. Its relevance was not recognized until the early 1900s when several scientists independently rediscovered mendelian laws. Shortly thereafter, Mendel's "factors" became "genes" and the new science was called "genetics."
Visit Mendel, which has an example of his experiments . While there, answer the question: What is a Punnett Square?
Today Mendel and his laws are historical footnotes. We have entered the age of molecular genetics (also called molecular biology) in which inheritance is understood at the level of nucleic acids. Today the emphasis is on the sequencing and cloning of genes and on producing recombinant-derived diagnostic reagents, vaccines, and therapeutic biopharmaceutical products such as erythropoietin, Factor VIII, and interleukins.
This century has seen many genetic discoveries, too numerous to detail here. Table 1-1 gives a brief history of some major contributions.
Students of any branch of science and technology should have a cursory knowledge of the significant events in its history and be familiar with the names of key figures. Not knowing about historical developments places us at a disadvantage. To understand current developments it helps to know something of the past so that evolving paradigms can be put into context.
| Introduction
| Historical Perspective | Classical Genetics
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