Dorothy FarrarMutation
Mutations are random chemical changes in the genetic material, which consists of DNA in all living things. DNA is found in the nuclei of all cells in the form of molecules. Mutations usually have a negative effect (hereditary diseases) – but in rare cases also a positive effect – on the characteristics and properties of a living being.
What is a mutation?
Sudden chemical changes or changes in the order of the building blocks can occur in the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) building blocks. These processes are called mutations. Changes in the nature and order of the DNA building blocks also necessarily result in changes in the order of the amino acids in the proteins synthesized to control that stretch of DNA. However, the latter also changes the mode of action of the protein in question in the life reactions and thus the characteristics of the living being in question.
Evolutionary factor selection
A creature changed by mutation passes the mutation on to its offspring unchanged. If the offspring modified in this way are less well adapted to a given environment than the creatures not modified by the mutation, they die out either in the first generation or only in the course of further generations. This is the case in more than 99.9% of all mutations.
For humans it has been estimated that on average a mutation is eliminated in this way over the course of 40 generations, that is about 1000 years, because carriers of such mutations do not have as many descendants in the world due to more frequent diseases or premature death put like people without this mutation.
On the other hand, if the much rarer case occurs that the mutation ensures a better adaptation to a given environment, the mutated living beings will reproduce faster at the expense of the non-mutated ones.
Then, over the course of a number of generations, only the mutant beings will remain. what was initially a mutation has then become the normal trait of this group of creatures. The non-mutated beings perished in the same period because they were less well adapted to the environmental conditions than the mutated beings. These processes are called selection.
Laws of Inheritance
- All information for life is contained in the genetic material (DNA).
- The DNA information is constantly being adapted, and RNA (ribonucleic acid) messages are being rewritten.
- The RNA messages are translated into protein chains with the participation of ribosomes and carrier RNA and using 20 amino acids.
- The sequence of amino acids in a protein determines the structure and mode of action of a protein. The sum of all proteins determines the form and life reactions, ie characteristics of a living being.
- Random and rare mutations in the DNA change the amino acid sequence of the proteins. Changes in the amino acid of a protein or the absence or new formation of a protein change life reactions and the appearance of a living being.
- The majority of random mutations result in poorer adaptation to the environment. Creatures with such mutations perish over a varying number of generations.
- Few mutations allow better adaptation to the environment. These mutations become established over a series of generations. They become the normal characteristic of this type of creature. These permanent mutations are the basis of the ever-evolving evolution of life on Earth.
Hereditary diseases
- Chorea-Huntington
- Red Green Blindness
- Rett Syndrome
Hello and welcome to my Health Guide & Encyclopedia! My name is Dorothy Farrar, and I'm the founder and main author of this platform.
My passion for health and wellness started at a young age when I became interested in the connection between the food we eat and the way we feel. This fascination led me to study nutrition and dietetics in college, where I learned about the importance of a balanced diet and the impact of various nutrients on the body.