Final answer:
Mendel's experiments with pea plants exemplify the significant impact that precise observation and methods can have in science, leading to the formulation of laws of inheritance that held true even before the discovery of DNA and chromosomes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mendel's work in genetics, despite being conducted without knowledge of DNA, demonstrates the power of careful scientific observation and experiment. Focusing on traits that showed discontinuous variation, such as violet versus white flowers, Mendel observed that traits were not blended in offspring but were inherited as distinct units. This contradicted the widespread belief in blending inheritance, which seemed to explain continuous variation seen in traits like human height. Mendel's experiments led to the development of principles that later matched with the chromosomal theory of heredity when DNA was understood to be the genetic material.
Mendel's observations went largely unnoticed until 1900, as he worked in a remote monastery and lacked a scientific reputation. His research proved invaluable when rediscovered, laying the foundation for modern genetics and the chromosomal basis of inheritance. His methodology underscores the value of scientific observation in discovering fundamental truths, even when the underlying mechanisms are not yet known.