Mendel festival 2023

The Mendel Festival takes place on the anniversary of the birth of Gregor Johann Mendel, the father of genetics - this year on 21 and 22 July! There will be a musical programme on Friday and Saturday evening as well as a popular and scientific programme. More information will be added soon.

On Saturday 22 July from 2 PM, Masaryk University will also join the programme for the public and families with several science-focused stands:

• The world up close (Mendel Museum)
  • What do the things and plants around us really look like up close? And how to make your own slide for examination under the microscope, perhaps from an onion or moss? We will show you what is needed and how to do it.
• About the bird's voice (Mendel Museum)
  • It is common knowledge that hair colour, nature, seed shape or beak shape are inherited from parents. But how does it work, for example, with a bird's ability to sing? Is it like the sounds of mammals, which have their roars or growls innate, or do birds have to learn their trills from an early age? Here you will learn the answers to these questions, but also learn to recognize the voices of our most common songbirds.
• DNA as a chain of beads (CEITEC MU)
  • How quickly can you replicate DNA according to a template? Can you do it without making a mistake? We're not going to lie - you can definitely do it slower than our cells, BUT... you can be faster than the rest of the participants. What's the DNA for, anyway? At our booth, in addition to replication racing, you'll also get to try your hand at translation - using beads to code your name and a bracelet or necklace to take home as a souvenir.
• Let's take a look (Bioskop)
  • Here you can look at fossil teeth and try to match them to the original animals. The different morphologies of each tooth can be used to guess what the prehistoric creature probably did for a living. Various fossils will be on display to provide an additional demonstration of a long-gone prehistoric world. And you will be rewarded for this short activity with prizes of your choice: a real fossil, plaster casts or a prehistoric colouring book.
• Take a peek into the world of the Brno Living Laboratory (RECETOX)
  • We'll show you how sampling works - the process of obtaining samples and data that helps us monitor the state of the environment and take measures to protect it. We will show you how samples are collected and analysed and introduce you to the different types of samplers and their use.
• Mendel Art Workshop (Mendel Museum)
  • The pea motif is now an inseparable symbol of Gregor Mendel - come and make your own pea badge.