For the past year or so even though I have focused-on two main topics, COVID-19 and climate change, I have not had the well-defined essays from both the content and the organizational angles. This includes a lack of content outlines that characterized my earliest essays. I’m sure regular readers have also noticed that the quantity of essays has diminished and to that, all I can say is, that life’s other demands and responsibilities have taken precedent as well as age related, (health) issues (not only my own) have been a factor too. A high school classmate at a recent monthly breakfast marveled how I have the energy and desire to write and publish at the age when most other friends choose to take life as easy and relaxed as possible. I sometimes think my wife would prefer that I would do just that.
All that having been said, I plan to revisit one of my favorite areas of biology, one of two or three that I most enjoyed teaching– genetics. – and delve deeper into this fascinating and increasingly controversial area of biology. I begin with the one with whom the field originated, Johann (Gregor) Mendel.
Early Life
Mendel was born to a meager farming family near Heinzendorf
(now Hyneice) in the Czech Republic. Young Mendel., who disliked the idea of someday inheriting the family farm dreamed of furthering his education but, as we will soon see, suffered from periods of depression throughout his young life. Eventually he was able to attend a”gymnasium” in nearby Troppau (now Opava, Czech Republic) (I remember from my French class in college that a gymnasium in most European countries is like our high school in America). After graduating from the gymnasium in 1840, he entered the Philosophical Institute at the University of Olomouc. Under considerable stress of studies and trying to support himself, he returned-home the next year. The following year his older sister and husband agreed to take over the farm and his 12 year old sister Theresia loaned her dowry to help sustain his education, quite an act of love on her part. But even that was not enough. However, his physics professor, Friedrich Franz, who was also a priest guided him to the Augustinian Order of the Catholic Church in Brno where he entered the Abbey of St. Thomas in what is now the Czech Republic. Yet, more troubles beset Mendel, now called Gregory. Related to his depression tendencies. failed his exams due to test anxiety.
He was then granted special dispensation to attend the University of Vienna at the age of 29, thereby ensuring that he would attend a university. There, he studied under Christian Doppler (Doppler effect), Andreas Von Ettingshausen, (mathematics) and Franz Unger (botany). Now, he was well equipped to begin his incredibly famous experiments on the garden pea (Pisum sativum).
Mendel’s Research
Originally, Mendel’s organism of choice was mice but was not allowed to experiment with them, so he switched to the garden pea. Other than Franz Unger’s influence why did Mendel select the garden pea? Well, they were commercially available, easy to cultivate, grew rapidly, and moreover, the reproductive parts normally are protected by large petals which means the plants tend to self-pollinate which promotes breeding true. (Curtis & Barnes)
The difference between Mendel’s success and other researchers before him lie in the following strategies:
- Mendel spent two years breeding his plants until he was sure his P (parent) generation “bred true”, that is, in today’s vernacular, was homozygous for the. . .
- seven traits he selected for study. . .
- which sorted out independently during meiosis , which means the “elements” as he called what we now know as genes, were found on different chromosomes.
- Patience—Mendel diligently examined around 300,000 seeds over nine years . . .
- And kept well organized records of them. (Evans, J.)
In case you are wondering what seven traits Mendel studied, here is a list and the actual numbers of second generation (F2) plants for each trait.
From his mentor von Ettingshausen, he learned to use mathematical formulas and calculations to arrive at his now famous Principles of Genetics. Later Mendel repeated his experiments on other plants including beans, snapdragons, and corn, concluding that the same principles applied. to other plants.
Mendel and Genetics-Looking Back
Johann (Gregor) Mendel’s humble beginning. is a reflection of his life, his great, yet obscure contribution to science, and his relatively unknown and uneventful death. Little could he have known and comprehended how his work with a simple plant, the garden pea, would be the keys that would unlock the mysteries of inheritance of all living things, lead to the knowledge of many biological diseases, affect already established disciplines such as agriculture (including worldwide food production), medicine (including thousands of genetic conditions) , gene manipulation, and many other unnamed spin-offs. As stated in essay XXX, his presentation to the Brunn Natural History Society in 1865 entitled Versuche uber Pflanzen-Hybriden (Experiments in Plant Hybridization) was neither understood nor appreciated and faded in obscurity for many years until rediscovered (?) in the early 20th Century. More will be written about that in my next essay. His scientific research ended in 1868 when he became abbot of St. Thomas. Failing eyesight and detereating health resulted in his death on February 6, 1884 at age 61(Evans, J.)
Again, for a more complete account of his presentation and reaction (or lack of) from those present and the forty copies he sent to other scientists, including Charles Darwin, I refer you back to Essay XXXVI. In addition to reasons cited previously for the long lack of interest and influence of his work, scholars have suggested that
- Mendel was ahead of his time, or to say it another way, the sciesntific community was not ready.
- Mendel was outside the scientific sphere of influence. After all, he was
“just” a monk and considered an amateur. - Mendel fit the image of a monk- shy, meek, not inclined to vanity.
Lessons learned and Looking Forward
A critical lesson should be that poor humble beginnings are no indication of future achievement and contributions to society. History is full of such men and women in the sciences, arts, humanities, etc… First up in my mind is Abraham Lincoln. Further, “thinking outside the box” often works. Mendel’s use of mathematics is a good example..
Mendel spawned the birth of a new science, one that can improve the quality of life, but if used wrongly can be a daunting, harmful, haunting black mark on civilization. There already have been as we shall see in future essays.
References
- Baumer, L October 6, 2020 lessonsonscience.com Part XXXVI Gregor Mended & Charles Darwin Bluehost / WordPress
- Baumer, L. August 21, 2020 lessonsonscience.com Part XXX Did Darwin read Mendel.
- Curtis, H. N. Sue Barnes, Biology (1989). Biology. New York: Worth Publishers Inc.
- Evans, J. Still Learning from Gregor Mendel after 200 Years The American Biology Teacher Vol 84 No 1 January, 2022
- Photo of Gregor Mendel courtesy of Science Learning Hub