Yo, future biologists! Let's talk about the Godfather of Genetics, Gregor Mendel, and how he rocked the world of biology with some tiny pea plants. 🌿🤘

• Mendel used pea plants because they have easily observable traits, like flower color and seed shape.
• Fun Fact: Pea plants can either make love to themselves (self-pollinate) or swing with other pea varieties (cross-pollinate).

Mendel was not boring; he picked 7 fun traits, each having 2 forms. For example, height - you’re either tall like a basketball player or dwarf-sized like Tyrion Lannister.

• Mendel was so extra he developed pure-breeding pea plants. These are like the Kardashians of the pea world—each generation looks the same.
• In science-speak: they are "homozygous."

• Mendel crossed different varieties to make hybrid babies (offspring).
• Surprise: Offspring weren’t a mix of parents. They totally took after one parent. Like if Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie had a kid who only looked like Brad.

• F1 = First generation. When Mendel let these self-pollinate, their kids (F2) had some surprises.
• Example: If F1 were all tall, F2 had some dwarf plants sneak back in! Like an unexpected plot twist in a soap opera.
• The ratio? Usually 3 tall:1 dwarf.