Most mutations are thought to be deleterious. Why, then, is it reasonable to state that mutations are essential to the evolutionary process?

Explain the following processes involving chromosome mutations and cancer development.

How the chromosome mutation producing Burkitt lymphoma generates the disease.

Explain the following processes involving chromosome mutations and cancer development.

How the chromosome mutation producing the Philadelphia chromosome leads to CML.

What are the differences between a synonymous mutation, a missense mutation, and a nonsense mutation?

Why would a mutation in a somatic cell of a multicellular organism not necessarily result in a detectable phenotype?

Why is a random mutation more likely to be deleterious than beneficial?

Most mutations in a diploid organism are recessive. Why?

The effect of base-pair substitution mutations on protein function varies widely from no detectable effect to the complete loss of protein function (null allele). Why do the functional consequences of base-pair substitution vary so widely?

When the amino acid sequences of insulin isolated from different organisms were determined, differences were noted. For example, alanine was substituted for threonine, serine for glycine, and valine for isoleucine at corresponding positions in the protein. List the single-base changes that could occur in codons of the genetic code to produce these amino acid changes.