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Geneticist
Studies genes and heredity — from inherited diseases to DNA forensics.
Did you know?
Gregor Mendel grew about 28,000 plants, mostly peas, to work out how traits are inherited, but his work was ignored until 1900.
How subjects help
- Biology: Trace how a gene passed down through a family causes an inherited illness.
- Chemistry: Extract DNA from cells and copy tiny amounts of it so it can be read and studied.
- Mathematics: Work out the odds that a trait, like eye colour, will show up in the next generation.
- Computer Science: Use software to compare millions of DNA letters and find the one change that matters.
A famous name
Gregor Mendel: His pea plant experiments (1856-1863) revealed the basic rules of how traits are inherited.
Try it yourself: Trace a trait through a family tree
- Invent a family of cartoon creatures over three generations: grandparents, parents, children.
- Give some of them a made-up trait, like a curly tail. Colour those members in.
- Look at your tree: which children could have got the trait from which parent?
- Explain your tree to someone as if they were the family. Keep it kind and clear, with no scary words.
Genetic counsellors draw family trees and explain what they might mean, calmly and clearly, so families can make their own choices.
Also try: Invent a way to sort leaves.
Known for it in
USA, UK, China, Germany, Iceland