Summary:
- The majority of mutations have neither negative nor positive effects on the organism in which they occur.
- These mutations are called neutral mutations.
- Harmful mutations may cause genetic disorders or cancer.
- Beneficial mutations are essential for evolution to occur.
- They increase an organism’s changes of surviving or reproducing, so they are likely to become more common over time.
- A genetic disorder is a disease caused by a mutation in one or a few genes.
- A mutation in a single gene causes the body to produce thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs.