Solving a genetic mystery

Has anyone ever told you that you have your mother’s dimples, or your father’s nose? Have you ever wondered why you are a particular height, have curly hair, or maybe green eyes? All of these questions can be answered with one word – (1) Genetics.

For almost 200 years scientists have been learning about (2) genes and how (3) traits, like the freckles on your face, are passed along from parent to child. … (A) … Before that time, farmers knew that if they (4) mated two animals or plants with a desired trait, the offspring was likely to have that trait. What the farmers did not know was how this was happening. It was a mystery that would remain until Gregor Mendel began studying the traits of peas.

Born on July 22, 1822, Mendel was the only son of a peasant family in what is now called the Czech Republic. Even at an early age Mendel liked to ask a lot of questions about the living world. He also had a lot of interests including physics, botany, mathematics, astronomy and beekeeping. By the age of 23 he would graduate from the Philosophical Institute in Olomouc. It was while studying at the Philosophical Institute his physics teacher recommended he join the Augustinian Monastery of St. Thomas in Brno.

Life in the monastery

Once at the monastery, Mendel followed his interest in science and also teaching. He conducted a series of experiments using peas. It would be these experiments that would help solve the mystery of traits and how they were passed from parent to offspring. With the support of the abbot and his fellow monks, Mendel used a section of land next to the monastery to carry out experiments in his garden. ... (B) … Using pea plants he would spend years experimenting to find out how traits were passed from parent plants to offspring.

At the time many scientists thought traits from both parents mixed together becoming a new, completely blended trait in the offspring. This was called blended inheritance model and was not unlike combining two colors of paint. When the colors are mixed they make a new color that can no longer be separated into the two original colors. The problem with blended inheritance is that it could not explain certain things that could be seen happening, such as how it was possible for traits to sometimes skip a generation, or how two people of medium height could have a child who grew up to be much taller than they were.

A new model of inheritance

Mendel’s experiment with peas were able to disprove the model of blended inheritance and show that genes are actually (5) discrete units that keep their separate identities when passed from (6) generation to generation. One of the reasons for the success of Mendel’s experiments was that they were very carefully designed and controlled. This was possible due to his strong understanding of the natural world and the life cycle of plants. Mendel also kept detailed notes of everything that he did and what he observed. In addition, Mendel was familiar with both mathematics and (7) probability. This knowledge is what allowed him to see patterns in the outcome of his experiments and realize what those patterns meant. 

The entire set of pea experiments took eight years to complete (1856-1863). … (C) … In 1865, Mendel published his findings in a paper called Experiments on Plant Hybridization, which was mostly ignored at the time due to a number of reasons. First, Mendel was not well known in scientific community. Second, his theory ran against the popular model of blended inheritance. His work also used mathematics and probability, which was a very unusual way to approach a scientific problem at the time and difficult for many people to understand.

It was more than thirty years after Mendel’s paper was published that the importance of his work was truly appreciated. Mendel's experiments are a good example that scientific discoveries are sometimes slow to be added to the collection of scientific knowledge. It took time for the community to fully understand his work and the methods he used to unlock one of the early mysteries of genetics. … (D) … It is also interesting to know that while Mendel was a great thinker and scientist he also failed two of his major exams needed to become a teacher. Many believe he had terrible test anxiety when taking exams. You could be someone that has similar problems when facing a big test. Just knowing that there have been and still are people that have the same problem might be helpful when you take your next exam.

Task 5. Read the text «Solving a genetic mystery» again and fill in the gaps.

1. The pea plant was perfect for Mendel's experiments for a number of reasons. First, pea plants were easy to grow and could be grown quickly in large amounts. Second, the shape of the flowers made it easy to control which plants were being mated. Lastly, pea plants had a number of visible traits, called phenotypes, that were easy identify.

2. The information for the traits of an organism is stored in DNA, as genes on chromosomes. All living things have genes and chromosomes. Depending on the plant or animal the size and number of chromosomes are different.

3. Mendel’s paper was first translated into English by William Bateson in 1901.

4. When looking for something to experiment with, Mendel turned to what was already available in his own backyard: common pea plant.

Task 6. Find English equivalents in the text «Solving a genetic mystery».

Потомок; вступать, присоединяться; черты; спариваться; обширный; поддержка; смешивать; сливаться; опровергать; перескакивать; наблюдать; ценить; обращаться; разгадывать тайну; выяснять; проводить эксперименты; причины успеха; быть тщательно спланированным; записывать в деталях; позволять.

Task 7. Choose the correct answer.

1. The importance of Mendel’s paper, Experiments in Pea Hybridization, was instantly recognized and appreciated by the scientific community.

a) True b) False

2. Which of the following subjects did Mendel have a background in?

a) Beekeeping b) Mathematics

c) Physics d) Botany

e) All of the above

3. Where did Mendel’s experiments take place?

a) At a university b) At a monastery

c) At his home d) In a farmer’s nearby field

4. Why did Mendel choose pea plants for his experiments?

1. They had many different visible traits

2. They were easy to grow

3. Their mating was easy to control

4. They grew quickly and in large amounts

5. All of the above

5. Is it possible for a visible trait to skip a generation?

1. Yes b) No

6. Which theory did Mendel’s experiments disprove?

a) Natural Selection b) Survival of the fittest

c) Blended Inheritance d) All of the above

Task 8. Challenge question.

What do you think led to the success of Mendel’s experiments?

Task 9. Tell your partner about your future research work. The following questions will help you.

1. What’s the main purpose of it?

2. Which biological equipment do you use?

3. What biological areas does your research work deal with?

WRITING

Task 1. Read the document and fill in the gaps.

A. Subject B. position C. ABC Health Center

D. Enclosure E. candidate

Cristiano Batistuta 5678, East 67 Street, Victoria, WA 45678, (123)-567 5432. Date: 2nd May, 2009

Mr. Robert Nelson Personal Manager

(1)

22 Victoria Street

Any Town, UK 55555

(2): CV of Cristiano Batistuta

Dear Mr. Nelson,

My experience as a research biologist for six years at ABC University in marine studies has trained me for the position you listed on gsmni.com for a biologist in your marine department. This is an area of great interest to me and other biologists I’ve associated with in recent months. I believe I could bring a new perspective to this department with some of the research I’ve already conducted.

If you are interested, I would like to meet you in person to have further talk about this (3) and discuss about duties I would perform. Please let me know if you consider me as one of the best (4) for the particular post. You can contact me by phone or email. My phone number is (123)-456 7890 and my email address is batistuta@gmail.com.

Sincerely Yours,

____________

Cristiano Batistuta,

(5): CV

Task 2. To which type is the document in Task 1 referred?

a) application letter c) covering letter

b) memo d) letter of enquiry

Task 3. Put the parts of the document into the correct order.

1) October 20, 2010

2) I am writing in response to your advertisement in the November 9 issue of Science magazine, which announced a position vacancy for a Quantitative Biologist. I am excited about the opportunity to apply for a faculty position in the Biology Department of Manchester College and believe that my research and teaching background make me a strong candidate. I am a molecular biologist currently finishing a postdoctoral fellowship in Mr. Johns’ laboratory at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

3) Dr. Robert Cutler

Biology Search Committee Chair

c/o Human Resources

Manchester College

P.O. Box 5000

Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504-5000

4) Sincerely,