Biological Science

Chapter 10: Mendel and the Gene

Research Links

In Chapter 10, "Mendel and the Gene," you learned the basics of Mendelian genetics, including the principles of independent assortment and segregation, as well as the fundamental basis of the chromosome theory of inheritance. The sites listed below provide additional resources for learning about the scientists involved in this early genetic research, and also lead to educational sites that support the ideas in the chapter.


10.1 Mendel's Experiments with a Single Trait

MendelWeb
This site, named after Gregor Mendel himself, introduces the origins of classical genetics. Follow the many links to information on Mendel's life and research, and to current news, research, and ideas in Mendelian genetics.
Keywords: Gregor Mendel, genetics, history

Monohybrid Cross
This problem set from the University of Arizona's Biology Project concentrates on the Mendelian single trait, or monohybrid cross. Links lead to descriptions of Mendel's own experiments and problem sets to test understanding of the inheritance of single genes.
Keywords: monohybrid cross, single trait cross, Mendelian genetics


10.2 Mendel's Experiment with Two Traits

In the Footsteps of Mendel
This article, published at the MendelWeb site, traces Mendel's life and work in nineteenth-century Czechoslovakia. The article includes many images of how the places in which Mendel lived and worked look today.
Keywords: Mendel, genetics, history

Dihybrid Cross Problems
This problem set in Mendelian genetics, again at the University of Arizona's Biology Project site, will help solidify the concept of multiple allele crosses. Follow the links to study material on two trait crosses.
Keywords: dihybrid cross, Mendelian genetics, two trait cross


10.3 The Chromosome Theory of Inheritance

Walter Sutton and Theodor Boveri
As mentioned in the chapter, Sutton and Boveri independently published work that connected Mendel’s recently rediscovered work in genetics to cellular observations of meiosis. These short biographies describe Sutton and Boveri's lives and the work in chromosome theory.
Keywords: chromosome, Morgan, inheritance, chromosome theory

The Embryological Origins of the Gene Theory
Due to its nature as a human enterprise, the story of the development of scientific understanding can often be told from several different points of view. This article retells the story of the chromosomal theory of inheritance from an embryological point of view.
Keywords: embryology, Morgan, chromosome theory, history


10.4 Testing and Extending the Chromosome Theory

Chromosomes
This Thinkquest article describes the work and ideas that led to the chromosome theory of inheritance. Follow the "Chromosome Theory of Heredity" link to learn the story of Morgan's work, and how it showed that genes, as discrete units of information, are physically located on the cellular chromosomes.
Keywords: chromosome, Morgan, inheritance, chromosome theory

Thomas Hunt Morgan
This Columbia University site explores Morgan's life and the work he did while at Columbia University in New York City.
Keywords: Morgan, history, chromosome theory


10.5 Extending Mendel's Rules

Beyond Genetic Determinism
Dr. Richard Strohman, retired chair of Berkeley Zoology and Director of the Health and Medical Sciences Program, wrote this short article shortly after the completion of the initial mapping of the human chromosome by the Human Genome Project. His article focuses on the surprising discovery that there are far fewer genes in the human genome than originally predicted, and discusses the implications of these findings for theories of genetic determinism.
Keywords: genetic determinism, Human Genome Project, human genetics, philosophy




Copyright © 2003 by Prentice Hall, Inc. A Pearson Company Legal Notice