What is Gregor Mendel?
{{Infobox Scientist | name = Gregor Johann Mendel | image = Gregor Mendel oval.jpg | birth_date = {{birth date|1822|7|20}} | birth_place = [[Heinzendorf]], [[File:Flag of the Habsburg Monarchy.svg|25px]] [[Austrian Empire]] | death_date = {{death date and age|1884|1|6|1822|7|20}} | death_place = [[Brünn]], [[Austria-Hungary]] | field = [[Genetics]] | work_institution = Abbey of St. Thomas in Brünn | alma_mater = [[University of Vienna]]|| | known_for = Founding modern [[genetics]] | prizes = <!--Please insert--> }} '''Gregor Johann Mendel''' (Heinzendorf, Austria,<ref>now Hynčice, Czech Rep</ref> 20 July 1822 – Brünn, Austro-Hungary,<ref>now Brno, Czech Rep</ref> 6 January 1884) was an [[Austrian]] [[monk]] and [[botany|botanist]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | title =Gregor Mendel | encyclopedia =Encyclopædia Britannica | url =http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9051973/Gregor-Mendel#203423.hook | accessdate = 2007-04-04}}</ref> Mendel founded [[genetics]] by his work cross-breeding [[pea]] [[Plant|plants]]. He discovered [[Allele|dominant]] and [[recessive]] characters, i.e. [[Gene|genes]] from the crosses he performed on the plants in his [[greenhouse]]. What he learnt is known today as [[Mendelian inheritance]]. His work was not appreciated at first, but was 'rediscovered' in 1900 by [[Carl Correns]] and [[Hugo de Vries]]. [[Erich von Tschermak]]'s status as a third rediscoverer is now less convincing.{{cn|date=December 2024}} == The experiments == Mendel used the edible peas (''Pisum sativum'') for his crosses. He selected seven characters which were distinctive, and never blended; they occurred as either-or alternatives. Examples: plant height (short or tall); colour of peas (green or yellow); position of flowers (restricted to the top or distributed along the stem).{{cn|date=December 2024}} When he crossed varieties which differed in a trait (e.g. tall crossed with short), the first generation of [[Hybrid|hybrids]] (F1) showed only one of the two alternatives. One character was ''dominant'', and