Gregor Mendel: Planting the Seeds of Genetics

Gregor Mendel: Planting the Seeds of Genetics
September 15, 2006 – April 1, 2007

Gregor Mendel’s story is remarkable: A 19^th-century friar and high school science teacher, he designed a brilliant experiment with ordinary peas that revealed the laws of heredity. His work was ignored for thirty years—only to be rediscovered after his death and launch the science of modern genetics.

This dramatic story and the power of genetics to tell us about the natural world are presented in the fascinating Gregor Mendel: Planting the Seeds of Genetics at The Field Museum. Original manuscripts, photographs, and scientific instruments evoke the world of scientists in the 1800s and early 1900s. You’ll see most of the remaining artifacts from the life of this great scientist. Trace Mendel’s influence on the rise of genetics and meet modern Mendels—scientists on the cutting edge of the field today. Five videos and ten hands-on activities make the fundamentals of genetics accessible to everyone. Visitors can recreate Mendel’s experiment in six easy steps, compare what scientists saw through microscopes in different eras and use DNA to create a bird family tree.

In a unique blending of art and science, the exhibition also integrates contemporary works of art that explore the subject of genetics. These works reflect the spirit of curiosity and creativity that inspires scientific research as well as art.

Come explore the dramatic story of Gregor Mendel and understand the powerful science of genetics!

This exhibition and its North American tour were developed by The Field Museum, Chicago, in partnership with The Vereinigung zur Förderung der Genomforschung, Vienna, Austria, and The Mendel Museum, Brno, Czech Republic.

Take a walk through Highlights of the Exhibtion >>