Today is 25 January 2011 -- We learned about Mendelian Genetics

Today we learned about segregation, independent assortment and the concept by Gregor Mendel that two "elements" contributed to inheritance of characteristics. His work was long before scientists understood chromosomes and genes, and the discovery of DNA (deoxyribosenucleic acid). Be sure to understand the terms Mendel pioneered. What are: F1, F2, P1, recessive, dominant? How did statistical analysis of the results of Mendel's experiments (he used pea plants grown in the monastery garden as test subjects) lead him to formulate his laws of genetics? Why is this useful today?