The modern science of genetics had its start in 1866 when an Austrian monk named Gregor Mendel provided a simple yet powerful description of how traits are passed on from one generation to another. Thanks to Mendel, when we think of our children, we can see them as a mixture of their two parents, with traits from both sides becoming more evident as they grow.

Dr. Greene’s Genetics Topic Center provides information on blood types, the Rh system, figuring paternity, and the how’s and why’s of genetic disorders.