Are All Mutations Harmful?

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The statement ‘all mutations are harmful’ states that every mutation reaction that takes place on Earth are harmful to the reactant associates. The biological term for ‘mutation’ is ‘a permanent change to the nucleotide sequence of the genetic material of an organism’, which basically means ‘a permanent change in the DNA sequence of a gene’. Mutation is believed to be a factor in evolution. Mutations can be caused by errors being copied into the genetic material during cell division and exposure to ultraviolet radiation. In multi-cellular organisms with reproductive cells, mutations can be further divided into sub mutations which potentially pass on to descendants through reproductive cells. Mutations create a lot of variation within the gene pool. Deleterious mutations can be reduced in frequency in the gene pool by natural selection, while more beneficial mutations may accumulate and result in adaptive evolutionary changes. Mutation is generally accepted by the scientific community as the mechanism upon which natural selection acts, proving the advantageous new traits that survive and multiply in offspring or disadvantages traits that die out with weaker organisms. Neutral mutations are defined as mutations whose effects do not influence the organism whatsoever. These mutations may accumulate over time due to genetic drift. It is believed that the majority of mutations to date have had no significant effect on an organism’s fitness. DNA repair systems which exist in the body have the ability to mend the majority of changes before they become permanent mutations, and many organisms have systems that are able to eliminate otherwise permanently mutated somatic cells. Helpful reactions define mutations whose effects
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