1/14: Mutations

Are you a mutant?? If you have blue eyes, or if you are able to drink milk and eat ice cream - you are!

• Actually, everyone is mutant to some degree! What are mutations, and how do they work?
• Are mutations always bad?

We have been studying how DNA makes copies of itself. When it is working correctly, DNA self-replicates every time you make a new cell! However, sometimes during this process there are mistakes. These mistakes, or changes, are called mutations. Today we are going to learn why DNA mutations occur, and what the consequences are.

By the end of class today you should understand the difference between a DNA and a chromosomal mutation, and you should be able to show a substitution, addition, and deletion mutation on a sequence of DNA.