Heredity: The Passing of Traits

Definition of Heredity

Heredity is the study of how parents pass down their traits to their offspring through genetics. It encompasses the biological processes that determine the transmission of specific characteristics from one generation to the next.

Gregor Mendel, an Austrian monk, conducted pioneering experiments with pea plants and established the fundamental principles of heredity. His observations revealed patterns of inheritance that laid the groundwork for our understanding of genetic inheritance.