Biology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Biology - Essay Example Some of the first scientists to pioneer into the field of modern genetics and evolution were Gregor Mendel and Charles Darwin. Gregor Mendel was an Austrian monk who is considered to be the father of modern genetics. Specifically, his intellectual curiosity stemmed from his technique and involvement in horticulture, specifically pea plants. He was interested in how the transmission of traits occurred not only in his pea plants, but in people as well. He used selective breeding techniques to track the traits as they were passed on from generation to generation. The reason that Mendel chose to study pea plants was due to the fact that pea plants are a model organism. The traits were easily observable (pea color, pea shape, stem length, etc.). He could also cultivate multiple generations quickly in order to collect his data regarding the experiments. From his data, he was able to show that the current theory of the time, blending theory, was incorrect. Unfortunately, most of his work an d theory was not recognized until after his death (Edleson, 2001). The basis by which all rules in modern genetics are derived from are from the three laws that lay the foundation for genetic study: the law of dominance, the law of segregation, and the law of independent assortment. The law of dominance states that in genes, there are two copies. The gene that is expressed is dominant over the other and the one that is not shown is recessive. This was observed in the pea color of Mendel’s plants in that the yellow color was dominant and the green was recessive. The law of segregation states that during gamete formation, the pairs of genes will separate randomly and then will combine during fertilization. This is what produces the genetic variability in an organism. Lastly, the law of independent assortment states that the way in which genes are sorted during gamete formation is completely random and that they do not have an effect on one another during this process. These rul es of genetics have remained unchallenged and are the fundamentals of understanding complex genetic theory (Griffiths, et. Al., 2008). Charles Darwin was a British naturalist who developed the modern theory of evolution. He specifically was interested in the way in which evolution occurred. The observations for his theory were a majority from his voyage to the Galapagos Islands on the HMS Beagle. He considered the Galapagos Islands to be a sort of â€Å"cradle of creation† in that the isolation of the island from humans allowed it to be a hot spot for ecological and evolutionary development. He collected many different specimens and fossils that he noticed were similar species. It was from this that he hypothesized that there was a mechanism by which evolution occurred and that this could be observed through studying the ecology of the region. He published his findings in the Origin of Species and was at first scrutinized for his theories, often being described as blasphemy a gainst the notion of a scientific theory for creation. Never the less, Darwin’s theories regarding evolution became the groundwork for scientists today who are studying modern evolution (Greenberger, 2005). Darwin’s theory of evolution was based on the concept of natural selection and survival of the fittest. Natural selection states that based on the traits that are expressed by a species that some of them will allow greater adaptation to the environment than others. This adaptation makes the organism â€Å"