DNA Gene Mutations & Evolution
Relationship between Genetic Mutation & Evolutionary Change
What is a mutation? Are changes to the genetic code always bad? What’s the connection between mutation and evolution? This article series provides some of the answers.
Here’s a new collection of Suite101 articles that explain what mutations are and how these changes to the DNA code impact the evolution of life.
What Is a Genetic DNA Mutation?
A mutation is a rare change in a gene's DNA sequence that can result in a defective cellular protein. This article covers the basics of genetic mutation.
Hereditary & Somatic DNA Mutations
There are two main categories of genetic mutation based on the type of cell they occur in. Changes to a person's DNA can be inherited or acquired after fertilization.
A mutation is an alteration of a gene's DNA sequence. Mutations are usually bad news, but those rare changes that benefit an organism are the raw material of evolution.
This article describes types if small mutations involving a change in one, or just a few nucleotides; covers point mutations, insertions, deletions and frameshift mutations.
