Answer- heredity, the sum of all biological processes by which particular characteristics are transmitted from parents to their offspring.
In the 19th century, it was commonly believed that an organism's traits were passed on to offspring in a blend of characteristics 'donated' by each parent. Heredity was poorly understood in general, and the concept of a gene did not exist at all.
Gregor Mendel: the 'father of genetics wa the founder of an heredity.
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