mendel published his results in a journal that was not well-known, and his discoveries were overlooked. around 1900, his work was rediscovered. genes are bits of information made of dna which work like a set of instructions. a set of genes are in every living cell. together, genes organise the way an egg develops into an adult. with mammals, and many other living things, a copy of each gene comes from the father and another copy from the mother. some living organisms, including some plants, only have one parent, so get all their genes from them. these genes produce the genetic differences which evolution acts on.