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What is mutation? essay
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The definition of mutation is any change in a gene or chromosome. One way to tell if a mutation is helpful, harmful, or neutral is by the organism’s environment. Some mutations are neutral which means that the change does not have an affect on the organism. A helpful mutation improves an organism's chance of survival and reproduction. How to tell if a mutation is harmful is if it reduces the organism’s chance of survival and reproduction. An example of a helpful mutation would be Antibiotics which kill bacteria. An example of a harmful mutation is an animal being a different color than the rest of the animal in its species. Mutations can sometimes cause a cell to produce an incorrect protein during protein synthesis. If this does happen, it
would result with the organism's trait, or phenotype, being different from what it would have originally been. A mutation that can occur is when chromosomes don't separate correctly during meiosis, when this happens a cell can end up with an incorrect amount of chromosomes or the cell can have extra segments of chromosomes. Another example of mutation is when a mistake occurs in one gene of a chromosome, instead of having the base A the DNA molecule could have the base G or C. If mutation does occur in a body cell, such as a skin cell, it will not get passed on to the organism's offspring. However, if a change occurs in a sex cell, the mutation could be passed on to this offspring. If it does end up going to the offspring, it will show in the offspring’s phenotype. Small changes in an organism’s heredity material is a caused by some mutations. An example of mutation for humans could be having an extra toe or and extra finger. There are so many things that can happen because of mutation but these are just a few of them.
Mutation results in the changes in physical or physiology of an organism. Like in the movie, Mystique who can change someone else physically. Mutation could be beneficial, neutral or harm the organisms as mutation occur randomly. In the movie, the mutation that occur in their X genes led to super ability which is beneficial. However, mutation in the movie is not possible in real life. This is because mutation in human in chromosomal mutation only harm and will not give any superpower like in the movie. Chromosomal mutation in human are as a result of deletion, duplication, inversion and translocation of chromosomes. All these will results in either excess chromosomal numbers or less chromosomal numbers, Aneuploidy such as Down syndrome. Mutation is one of the reasons which is one of the factor that led to
Natural selection is associated with the phrase “survival of the fittest.” This basically means that the fittest individuals can not only survive, but are also able to leave the most offspring. The selection of phenotypes affects the genotypes. For example, if tall pea plants are favored in the environment, then the tall pea plants would leave more offspring behind, meaning that the offspring will carry tall alleles. Phenotypes that are successful have the best adaptations (characteristics that help an individual to survive and reproduce) to their environment. These adaptation arise from the interactions with living and nonliving aspects of the environment. Some nonliving aspects of the environment are climate, water availability, and concentration of mineral sin the
It will then inform the reader of the effects it will have on our society. Diseases like cancer, AIDS, cardiovascular disease, cystic fibrosis and Alzheimer’s could potentially be cured (American Medical Association). However, serious risks can be associated with gene therapy. If a gene is added to the DNA, there is a possibility it may be inserted in the wrong place, which can lead to other harmful effects (Gene Therapy and Children). However, it also has the ability to positively affect patients lives.
Shelley in no way supports the idea that science is completely disadvantageous, but scientific advancements may be beneficial as long as repercussions are dealt with. Genetically modified organisms are created for a variety of reasons such as agricultural production and scientific research (Genetically). These unnatural modifications may negatively damage the health of entire ecosystems. Many years before modified organisms were popular, few people had common allergies like peanuts or bees. Many scientists infer genetically modified products elicit allergic reactions as a result of adjusted homeostasis. Furthermore, scientists theorize toxin levels in organisms may become dangerous for human consumption if modified further by genetics. A plant with adjusted genes may be proven to have a lesser value nutritionally since certain components may become indigestible through the process. Antibiotic resistance is another issue as well. Recently, scientists have taken note of the increasing resistance to certain scientific procedures. These occurrences are evident that genetic modifications are used too commonly. This kind of resistance may lead to irretrievable risks such as a potential lack of scientific understanding. Surely, scientific discoveries are far less advantageous in comparison to irreparable
Shortly after the groundbreaking discovery of the structure of DNA in 1953, the scientific world was essentially given the ability to alter the genetic sequence of any living organism using a process known as 'genetic engineering'. By definition, genetic engineering is 'the deliberate modification of the characteristics of an organism by manipulating its genetic material', it is quite simply an unnatural process which defies the ordinary course of nature. As of yet, no devastating or permanent damage has been done. However, the unpredictable nature and unknown consequences genetic engineering holds is more than enough reason to be cautious, as one mistake could have irreversible and catastrophic effects.
The first step in this process is initiation which started by exposure of cells to carcinogenic substances which lead to genetic damage that, if not fixed, results in irreversible mutations. The mutated cells start growth till formation of a colony. The second stage is a promotion, in which carcinogens or other factors modify the environment in a way assists growth of mutated cell population over normal cells. The main difference between the these two stages is that the later one is reversible, so it may be the target of future chemoprevention strategies (Mediana et al., 2008).
Modern technology has taken amazing strides in the past few years. We have changed the way we deal with food production, agriculture, and many other aspects of life.. Scientists have begun utilizing these advances in technology and knowledge to gain insight as to how the human species functions. They are on the verge of manipulating the way humans relate to the natural world. This revolutionary breakthrough is what is known as Genetic Engineering. Genetic Engineering is the process of manually adding new DNA molecules into an already existing organism. A simplified version of the process works by physically removing a gene from one organism and placing it into another. This is being done in an effort to
Whether we like it or not genetic modified organisms (GMOs) are on our dinner table and in our air. Suddenly, activists and the media have become obsessed with avoiding GMOs and labeling them as an evil new technology. The truth is these products have been out in the public since the early 1990s. Genetic engineering (GE) is just a tool that is being used to improve our methods in agriculture, just as technology including computers or other new electronic updates that make our lives easier day by day. We use science to make improvements little by little over the years while some fail others may be successful. It is safe to say some technology that comes with life altering benefits may also come with some risks. Those who argue against GMOs choose to ignore all the benefits GE has provided us with so far and tend to focus on risks that realistically have nothing to do with the science of genetic engineering. Most anti-GMO activists are uneducated on the topic and listen to unreliable bias sources. The media has people focused on the wrong side of the debate. Banning genetic engineering, an important biotechnology, would be an impossible and foolish fight. In a world with a tremendously fast growing population, climate changes due to global warming, and economical faults, GMOs might be the best solution.
All of these impacts must be taken into consideration to avoid disasters. Genetic modification process may end up harming animals, plants and any other living organism. After all of these researches found about how much genetic modification is dangerous for all human beings and how does it affect their health , a serious step should be taken. As defined by David (2014) ”researches show toxicity in animals that predict serious medical consequences in humans for long term exposure .” A serious governmental step should be taken to avoid human’s health problems and to avoid negative environmental impacts.
It also allows species to survive. It produces new and different species through ancestral populations of organisms and moves them to new populations. Both natural selection and genetic drift decrease genetic variation. If they were the only mechanisms of evolution, populations would eventually become homogeneous and further evolution would be impossible. There are, however, mechanisms that replace variation depleted by selection and drift (Colby).
There are a lot of characteristics that can help a predator hunt and a prey survive. Even a single trait that helps the species survive better can change the numbers of survivors drastically. An example of this is the pocket mice video we watched. The land is now black, which was once white because of a volcano eruption. The mice lived unnoticed in the white land but because the land is now black they are easily noticed and eaten. But then over generations their skin color soon starts to change and it is black, which helps them survive drastically. This helps them mate and the population soon changes.
When DNA is replicated and undergoes cell division, there may be errors, known as mutations, that occur. After multiple generations of offspring are produced, eventually the mutations will change enough to show a new distinguishable trait such as disease or a particular disorder (Ovchinnikov, Rubin & Swergold, 2002). If the same genes are passed on and carry the traits for a particular disorder, then fitness of the host will be lowered, because of the impact of a certain disease. An example would be cystic fibrosis, which develops if both recessive alleles are passed from the parents to the offspring.... ...
The factors of genetic mutations are mutagens and carcinogens. Author Beatrice Singer quotes “Mutagenesis, whether directly caused by chemicals or as an intrinsic property of nucleic acids, is an inescapable event” (Molecular Biology). This is true because most mutations are induced by nature. Environmental mutagens include ultraviolet radiation and tobacco smoke while other mutagens include radiation and organic chemicals. Carcinogens are cancer-causing factors. Due to mutations, the pairings of nucleotides in a DNA stand can be rearranged. For example, the base cytosine can now be paired with
Dr. Jon Schiller describes genetic medicine as the newer term for medical genetics and incorporates areas such as gene therapy, personalised medicine and a new emerging speciality, predictive medicine. Medical genetics is the specialty of medicine that involves the diagnosis and management of hereditary disorders (Dr. Jon Schiller, 2010).
In the gene mutation process, there are three types of gene mutations that can occur. The first type is a bad mutation. When a bad mutation occurs it changes amino acids, which inhabits proteins from functioning properly. When this happens, it can negatively impact one’s fitness. The next mutation is Neutral mutation. In this process, the mutation results in a codon that codes the original amino acid. No change happen to the protein when this occurs. The 3rd and final mutation is the good mutation. The good mutation impacts the amino acids. After it affects the amino acids, it affects the enzymes and it can increase one’s fitness. Regardless of the type of mutation (good, bad, and neutral mutation) they all fit in the category of source