Genetics in fiction a genetic accident with disastrous consequences; or, the feasibility and desirability of a planned genetic alteration. The treatment of science in these stories has been uneven and often unrealistic. The film "Gattaca" did attempt to portray science accurately but was criticised by scientists. Modern genetics began with the work of the monk Gregor Mendel in the 19th century, on the inheritance of traits in pea plants. Mendel found that visible traits, such as whether peas were round or wrinkled, were inherited discretely, rather than by blending the attributes of the two parents. In 1900, Hugo de Vries and other scientists
Classical genetics as molecular genetics. At the base of classical genetics is the concept of a gene, the hereditary factor tied to a particular simple feature (or character). The set of genes for one or more characters possessed by an individual is the genotype. A diploid individual often has two alleles for the determination of a character. Classical genetics is the part of genetics that is solely about the method in which genetic traits are transmitted via the acts of reproduction. Genetics is, generally, the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity. The process by which characteristics are passed down from parents