Prior to Mendel completing and publishing his genetic experiments, what were the prevailing ideas about how inheritance occurred?
A. The next generation of life already existed fully formed, in miniature, inside the egg or sperm.
B. The mother's oocytes (eggs) contained all of the substances needed to determine the characteristics of the offspring.
C. There were no ideas of inheritance before Mendel's genetic experiments.
D. Substances from only the father determined the characteristics of the offspring.
E. Substances from the mother and father blended together during conception.
Answer (2)
Before Mendel's experiments, prevailing theories of inheritance included preformationism, blending inheritance, and maternal dominance, which were speculative and incorrect. Mendel's work fundamentally changed the understanding of genetics, revealing that traits are inherited through discrete units rather than blending or pre-formed entities. The most relevant answer to the multiple-choice query is E: Substances from the mother and father blended together during conception.
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Before Mendel's experiments, several theories explained inheritance, including preformation, blending inheritance, and the idea of maternal dominance. These theories misrepresented how traits were passed down, lacking scientific experimentation. Mendel's work fundamentally changed the understanding of genetics. ;
