Guests: Dr. Nigel Crompton
Description: A six-year study of the genetics of peas inspired by the original study by Gregor Mendel concluded that sudden appearance of genetic information is more reasonable that accumulation of mutations over a long period of time. Dr. Nigel Cromption distinguishes characters and traits in plants and how there is a dominant wild type along with several mutations that cause certain characteristics to be expressed. The wild type has purple flowers and is robust and tall, but one mutation produces white flowers, another wrinkled peas, another short stubby plants, and yet another produces a yellow pea pod rather than green. Overall there were about seven of these that Mendel studied, and none of the mutations, which are now specifically identified, produce what could be arguably a benefit. The complexity of the process that produces chlorophyll is discussed.