The father of genetics is Gregor Mendel. He was an Austrian monk who conducted groundbreaking experiments in breeding pea plants in the monastery garden, which led to the fundamental laws of inheritance now known as Mendelian inheritance. Mendel discovered how traits are passed from one generation to the next through distinct units called genes, with dominant and recessive traits, laying the mathematical foundation of genetics. His work, conducted between 1856 and 1863, was not fully appreciated until long after his death, but is now recognized as the cornerstone of modern genetics.
