Whose experiments founded the science of genetics?

The Austrian monk Gregor Mendel is considered the father of genetics for his careful experiments breeding pea plants in the garden of his monastery during the 1850s and 1860s. By tracking traits such as flower colour and seed shape across generations, he discovered the basic rules of inheritance, showing that traits are passed down in discrete units — now called genes — rather than simply blending. Mendels work, published in 1866, was largely ignored during his lifetime and only rediscovered around 1900, decades after his death, when other scientists independently reached similar conclusions. His principles became the foundation of modern genetics and heredity.