Mendelapka

Who wouldn’t know Mendel? He knew that there was no pea like a pea. We still use the results of his research today. Would you like to test this in practice for fun, and find out what your children could look like?

Our application does not aspire to be a scientific tool, but it does make use of basic rules of genetics. It examines basic eye and hair colour, the shape of both parents’ heads, etc., and blends their traits together, sometimes adding a bit more from one partner and taking away from the other. The moment of suspense is replaced with a moment of surprise and voila, four of the most probable possibilities of how it could turn out are there. Chance plays a bit of a role, too; after all, everything is possible in genetics.

Gregor Johann Mendel crossbred peas in the greenhouse of the Augustinian abbey in Old Brno in the mid-1800s, until he discovered fundamental principles of heritability that are today known as Mendel’s Laws. Several decades later, the initial tepid response to his work was replaced by recognition, when his laws were confirmed, and Mendel earned the title ‘Father of Genetics’.

Aside from experiments with plants, he devoted the same passion to his two other hobbies: meteorology and beekeeping. Three times a day, he conducted meteorological measurements at several places in the monastery, with the great precision that distinguished him, and he himself designed an apiary for 15 bee colonies and had it built in the abbey garden.

Take a look at the monastery garden through the window of Mendel’s room and walk under the blossoming acacia trees all the way to the apiary. The Brno Mendel Museum offers several guided tours. For more, see www.mendelmuseum.muni.cz.

And while you are in Brno, how about getting a taste of more of the beauty that the South Bohemian Region has to offer? And there is no shortage to experience! Picturesque vineyards, the secrets of caves, and UNESCO sites are definitely worth exploring. For tips for trips, see www.ccrjm.cz.