- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
About this book
Gregor Mendel, the founder of genetics, is renowned as one of the world’s most ingenious and influential scientists. Nonetheless, he remains misunderstood and enigmatic, his history shrouded in controversy and myth. Escaping poverty, he joined a scholarly community of Augustinian friars in a monastery and studied at the University of Vienna under some of Europe’s most accomplished scientists. He returned to a tumultuous milieu at the monastery as he and his fellow friars suffered a harrowing investigation accusing them of secularism and pantheistic philosophy. Against this backdrop, Mendel initiated an epic set of experiments with the common garden pea that would lead him to reveal the mystery of inheritance. The article he published would become a classic in the history of science.
Darwin’s Origin of Species shook the world in 1859. Its impact eclipsed Mendel’s discovery, presented just a few years after Darwin’s pivotal book. Unlike Darwin, who witnessed his work attain immediate worldwide fame (and infamy), Mendel would never know how powerfully his discoveries would impact science and humanity; his achievements languished in obscurity until well beyond his death. “The laws governing inheritance are quite unknown,” Darwin lamented just a few pages into the Origin of Species. Mendel had discovered and presented those laws, which ultimately would bridge the most gaping chasm in Darwin’s theory. In 1900, at the dawn of the twentieth century, several influential scientists independently rediscovered Mendel’s theory, elevating it to the highest echelon of scientific triumph. The new science, christened genetics, immediately generated controversies, some of which continue to the present. Throughout modern history, proponents and detractors alike have coopted Mendel’s theory to buttress their worldviews, fueling the flames of disputes and prolonging political battles. Unquestionably, however, it has served as the foundation for some history’s greatest scientific advances.
This book commemorates Mendel’s life and legacy at the bicentennial of his birth. It interweaves traditional accounts of his history with newly discovered evidence to reveal an extraordinary teacher, a resolute priest and abbot, and a complex and guileless scientist whose momentous discoveries have remained essentially unchanged for more than a century and a half.
Darwin’s Origin of Species shook the world in 1859. Its impact eclipsed Mendel’s discovery, presented just a few years after Darwin’s pivotal book. Unlike Darwin, who witnessed his work attain immediate worldwide fame (and infamy), Mendel would never know how powerfully his discoveries would impact science and humanity; his achievements languished in obscurity until well beyond his death. “The laws governing inheritance are quite unknown,” Darwin lamented just a few pages into the Origin of Species. Mendel had discovered and presented those laws, which ultimately would bridge the most gaping chasm in Darwin’s theory. In 1900, at the dawn of the twentieth century, several influential scientists independently rediscovered Mendel’s theory, elevating it to the highest echelon of scientific triumph. The new science, christened genetics, immediately generated controversies, some of which continue to the present. Throughout modern history, proponents and detractors alike have coopted Mendel’s theory to buttress their worldviews, fueling the flames of disputes and prolonging political battles. Unquestionably, however, it has served as the foundation for some history’s greatest scientific advances.
This book commemorates Mendel’s life and legacy at the bicentennial of his birth. It interweaves traditional accounts of his history with newly discovered evidence to reveal an extraordinary teacher, a resolute priest and abbot, and a complex and guileless scientist whose momentous discoveries have remained essentially unchanged for more than a century and a half.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
At the moment all of our mobile-responsive ePub books are available to download via the app. Most of our PDFs are also available to download and we're working on making the final remaining ones downloadable now. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Gregor Mendel by Daniel J. Fairbanks in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Technology & Engineering & Science & Technology Biographies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- Preface
- Prologue: A Misty Winter Evening
- CHAPTER 1 From Poverty to Priesthood
- CHAPTER 2 A Community of Scholars
- CHAPTER 3 The Evolution of a Scientist: Mendel in Vienna
- CHAPTER 4 The Methodical Origins of a Masterpiece
- CHAPTER 5 Mendel’s First Presentation, February 8, 1865: Mathematical Elegance
- CHAPTER 6 Mendel’s Second Presentation, March 8, 1865: A Momentous Theory
- CHAPTER 7 Mendel and Darwin
- CHAPTER 8 The Steadfast Scientist
- CHAPTER 9 The Resolute Abbot
- CHAPTER 10 The Rediscovery
- Epilogue: Tragedy and Heroism
- Appendix: Experiments on Plant Hybrids by Gregor Mendel
- Notes
- Bibliography