Mutations and Evolution

Paper Summary:

This paper makes the argument that genetic mutations form the foundation by which evolution can occur. Without mutations, there would be little genetic diversity, and, therefore, natural selection would not occur. The first half of the paper focuses on spontaneous mutations at the gene level and describes the mechanisms behind all the various point mutations and frame shift mutations. The second half of the paper utilizes this information in order to allow the reader to understand how mutations can sometimes be beneficial. Several contemporary examples of beneficial genetic mutations and their consequences are given.

From the Paper:

"Genetic mutations are the foundation of evolutionary change. Without change, there can be no progress. Unfortunately for many organisms, evolution is a very gradual process, because the vast majority of genetic mutations do not result in a beneficial change. With genetic mutations, there are two competing theories. Most contemporary evolutionists subscribe to the theory that all mutations are detrimental to an organism, while the minority looks at mutations as the stepping-stones of evolutionary progress. The latter group would say that each beneficial mutation in a species would be preserved and thus naturally selected for as it is passed on to subsequent generations (Demick, 1999). The term mutation is used to describe all the possible changes in the DNA sequence, or hereditary information of an organism. Because DNA molecules are not completely stable, base pair changes can occur, and these changes can sometimes dramatically affect the genotypes, and in turn, the phenotypes of organisms. As a biological term, mutation covers a broad spectrum of different kinds of changes. In general, a mutation is either spontaneous or induced. The focus here is on spontaneous genetic mutations, or random, uncontrolled changes that occur within individual genes. By examining the mechanisms and history of genetic mutations and applying some of these concepts to recent discoveries, the hope is to shed a little light on the alternative to contemporary evolutionary theory, to show that genetic mutations are the real driving force behind evolution."

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