Mendelian Genetics is the study of how traits are inherited through generations, based on the work of Gregor Mendel, an Austrian monk. He conducted experiments with pea plants and discovered that traits are passed down in predictable patterns, which he called "laws of inheritance." These include the law of segregation and the law of independent assortment. Mendel's findings revealed that organisms have two alleles for each trait, one inherited from each parent. Dominant alleles can mask the effects of recessive alleles, leading to variations in physical characteristics, or phenotypes. This foundational work laid the groundwork for modern genetics.