For Immediate Release Contact: Nancy O'Shea (312) 665-7103 (For Media Use Only) Gregor Mendel: Planting the Seeds of Genetics September 15, 2006, through April 1, 2007 CHICAGO— One of the most important scientific findings ever went unnoticed for 35 years. In 1865, Gregor Mendel reported the results of plant hybridizing experiments and laid out the basic laws of inheritance—offering a tentative but insightful sketch of how physical traits are passed from one generation to the next. This ground-breaking work was ignored until the turn of the century, when it was rediscovered and confirmed by other researchers. Since then, Mendel has come to be recognized as the father of genetics, although the story of how he accomplished that remains relatively unknown today. In an attempt to help rectify this lack of awareness and appreciation of Mendel’s immense contributions to science, The Field Museum has developed an exhibition called Gregor Mendel: Planting the Seeds of Genetics. This informative, innovative and interactive exhibition will be on public display at the Museum from September 15, 2006, to April 1, 2007. It tells the story of how an Augustinian friar working by himself with relatively simple tools came to crack some of science’s toughest mysteries. The exhibition then traces the rise of genetics through its major milestones—from the discovery of chromosomes to the famous DNA model of James Watson and Francis Crick—and shows how scientists today are using genetics to tackle cutting-edge questions in evolution, conservation, and crop cultivation. Life-size photo murals—of the Abbey library where Mendel studied, the Columbia University Fly Room where Thomas H. Morgan investigated the genetics of fruit flies in the early 1900s, and a modern DNA lab—combine with scientific instruments and artifacts to illustrate the changes in the scientific environment over the last 150 years. How did Mendel do it? Through carefully thought out, painstaking research that meticulously followed the scientific method: observation, hypothesis, prediction, experimentation and conclusions. For eight years Mendel grew generation after generation of pea plants and carefully observed the results. Over the course of these experiments, Mendel grew an estimated 28,000 pea plants and counted some 300,000 peas. This generated a huge quantity of data, and Mendel was one of the first scientists ever to apply statistical analysis to research findings in the field of biology. As a result, he hypothesized that all plants and animals have certain “elements” that account for the transmission of physical traits from parents to offspring. These elements are now called “genes.” “This exhibit presents an exciting opportunity to broaden people’s understanding of genetics beyond human diseases and the human genome project into the realm of natural history and modern evolutionary biology,” said Shannon Hackett, Curator in the Bird Division of The Field Museum’s Department of Zoology. “Having the freedom to learn about the life story of one of the great minds in biology is one of the best things about being an academic.” Charles Darwin, a contemporary of Mendel’s, was unaware of Mendel’s research. However, the underpinnings of Darwin’s theory rested on the understanding of inheritance that Mendel’s work provided. Their theories have since been unified into what is now called the modern synthesis of evolutionary biology. Together, their monumental findings comprise the cornerstone of modern biology. “Without Mendel’s discoveries, evolutionary biology wouldn’t have its foundation. Although we use more sophisticated tools and analyses, we are still applying Mendel’s ideas to today’s genetic research,” said Kevin Feldheim, Manager of The Field Museum’s Pritzker Laboratory for Molecular Systematics and Evolution. Continue >>