From counting peas to the "father of genetics"

Mini-exhibition on the 200th birthday of Gregor Mendel

Gregor Johann Mendel (1822 - 1884)

Was a monk and later abbot of the Augustinian Order in Brno in the present-day Czech Republic. In addition to his work as a teacher, he carried out numerous crossbreeding experiments on plants. He studied theology as well as physics, chemistry, mathematics and some biological subjects in Vienna.
Through crossbreeding experiments and their statistical evaluation, he discovered important laws of heredity, which later became the "Mendelian laws" and laid the foundation for genetics and thus also for modern plant breeding.
During his lifetime, however, his findings attracted only little attention. It was not until years later, at the beginning of the 20th century, that the Mendelian laws were independently rediscovered by the scientists Carl Correns, Hugo de Vries and Erich Tschermak-Seysenegg.

 

Mini-exhibition

  • What did Mendel find out with his experiments on peas?
  • What other plants did he work with?
  • What significance does Mendelian inheritance still have today?

In a mini-exhibition, five stations with newly designed beds in the areas  "Pflanzenzüchtung" and "Nutzpflanzen" of the Düsseldorf Botanical Garden deal with Mendel's research and the significance of his findings for modern plant breeding.

Quiz time!

Want to turn a Mendel pro?

If yes, we have a nice little quiz for you and with a little bit of luck you can win a small botanical surprise!

For participation*, fill out the quiz on the Exhibition flyer (can be found in the green houses) and throw your card in the quiz box in the "Kuppelgewächshaus"!

 

Deadline is September 1 2022!

 

 

Terms of participation:

To participate in our lottery, we ask you to provide the following information: E-mail address.
Your data will be collected, stored and used exclusively for the purpose of contacting you in the context of the current competition. In accordance with Art 17 DSGVO, your data will be deleted immediately after the purpose has been fulfilled (after the competition has ended).
By participating in the lottery, participants agree to the use of personal data required for the implementation within the framework of data protection regulations (exclusively for contacting).
From the entries with the correct answers, 10 winners will be drawn, who will be contacted for the dispatch of the prize via the contact information provided.