Plant research has often been done with plants. In genetics, the breeding of pea plants allowed Gregor Mendel to derive the basic laws governing inheritance, and examination of chromosomes in maize allowed Barbara McClintock to demonstrate their connection to inherited traits. The plant "Arabidopsis thaliana" is used in laboratories as a model organism to understand how genes control the growth and development of plant structures. NASA predicts that space stations or space colonies will one day rely on plants for life support. Ancient trees are revered and many are famous. Tree rings themselves are an important method of dating in archeology,
Mendel Museum of Masaryk University Mendel Museum of Masaryk University Mendel Museum has been an institution of Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic, since 2007. The museum was established in 2002 with the international co-operation of a number of organizations. The principal role in the creation of the museum itself was played by the Austrian society VFG and affiliated scientists and patrons. The museum is located within the precincts of the Augustinian abbey in Old Brno, where the abbot and scientist Gregor Johann Mendel lived and worked. It aims to promote the legacy of Augustinian abbot G. J. Mendel, who is known primarily for his