Question

Mendel published his work on inheritance in 1865, but it remained unnoticed for over three decades.

State the reasons why his work was not recognised during his life time. (4 points)

Hint:

Give four points: poor communication, blending inheritance belief, factors not physically identified, and new statistical approach.

Answer 1

Step 1: Recall the background:
Mendel presented his pea experiments in 1865 and published them in 1866. His results were rediscovered only in 1900 by de Vries, Correns and Tschermak.

Step 2: Point 1 and 2:
1. Communication was poor at that time. His paper appeared in a local journal and was not widely read.
2. His idea of discrete units (factors) that pass unchanged from parent to child went against the common belief in blending inheritance.

Step 3: Point 3 and 4:
3. Genes and chromosomes were not yet known, so there was no physical proof of what the factors were.
4. His use of mathematics and statistics to explain biological results was new. Biologists of the time were not used to it.

Final Answer:
Four reasons: poor communication, conflict with blending inheritance, no physical basis for factors, and the new statistical approach.