Gregor Mendel: Planting the Seeds of Genetics

by Mawer, Simon

• ISBN13: 9780810957480
• ISBN10: 0810957485
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-09-01
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams

Summary

Considered one of the greatest scientists in history, Gregor Mendel was the first person to map the characteristics of a living thing's successive generations, thus forming the foundation of modern genetic science. In "Gregor Mendel," distinguished novelist and biologist Simon Mawer outlines Mendel's groundbreaking research and traces his intellectual legacy from his discoveries in the mid-19th century to the present. In an engaging narrative enhanced by beautiful illustrations, Mawer details Mendel's life and work, from his experimentation with garden peas through his subsequent findings about heredity and genetic traits. Mawer also highlights the scientific work built on Mendel's breakthroughs, including the discovery of the DNA molecule by scientists Watson and Crick in the 1950s, the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003, and the advances in genetics that continue today.

Table of Contents

Prologue	p. 7
The Lectures, 1865	p. 9
Childhood: from Johann to Gregor	p. 17
Education	p. 29
The Scientific Landscape	p. 43
The Research Program	p. 53
The Follow-up	p. 69
Life beyond Peas	p. 83
The Rediscovery	p. 91
The Mendel Legacy	p. 105
New Currents in Genetics	p. 119
From Code to Genome	p. 141
Where Do We Go from Here?	p. 151
Pushing into the Unknown	p. 161
Notes	p. 165
Acknowledgments	p. 168
Index	p. 170
Illustration Credits	p. 176
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