TED-Ed: How Mendel's pea plants helped us understand genetics - Hortensia Jimenez Diaz

The video explores genetic inheritance, starting with Gregor Mendel's pioneering work on heredity using pea plants. Mendel discovered dominant and recessive traits, leading to the concept of alleles, genotypes, and phenotypes. The Punnett Square is introduced as a tool to predict genetic combinations. The video concludes with a discussion on complex traits and modern advancements in genetics, emphasizing the foundational role of Mendel's discoveries.

Who was Gregor Mendel and what was his contribution to genetics?

• A chemist who developed the periodic table

• A botanist who invented the microscope

• An Austrian monk who discovered the principles of heredity

• A scientist who discovered DNA

What is the difference between a dominant and a recessive trait?

• Dominant traits are always visible, recessive traits are never visible

• Dominant traits are inherited from the father, recessive from the mother

• Dominant traits can hide recessive traits in hybrids

• Recessive traits are stronger than dominant traits

What do we call the genetic makeup of an organism?

• Trait

• Allele

• Genotype

• Phenotype

How can a Punnett Square be used in genetics?

• To calculate the speed of genetic mutations

• To predict the possible genetic combinations in offspring

• To determine the age of a plant

• To measure the size of genes

What additional traits can peas have besides color?

• Taste and smell

• Shape, such as round or wrinkled

• Height and weight

• Growth rate