Gregor Mendel

Gregor Mendel not only ate his peas, he used them to figure out how genes are passed from generation to generation. In the 1800s, this Austrian monk experimented with 22 kinds of pea plants. Mendel took careful notes about the pea plants and analyzed the results. He discovered the rules for how genetics works. Who knows what you could do if you ate your peas!

Image credits: main image, © AMNH/Kelvin Chan; stumper, © AMNH.