Genetics, Mutations, and Evolution

[Dusty Bake Activate]

i dont think we are debating whether the bold is true or not. like you said that seems to be factual.

what i am trying to investigate is whether these mutations can ONLY happen randomly.

so what i am hypothesizing is that mutations can happen randomly, yes... but that they can also happen in response to other factors, most notably, the environment.

Radiation and direct exposure to certain chemicals can cause physical damage to DNA in an existing animal. That physical damage can result in unpredictable mutations in their offspring. That's pretty much it.

 

[Tha Snowman]

It's not really anything to debate through. This is hard empirical science. Natural selection occurs via random mutations that are selected over time. That's not academia's stance, it's cold hard fact. To learn about it's better to just read the scientific literature you can find in the library or online then to try and debate it with people here imo.

QFT.

I have a chemistry major/biology minor. This is considered common knowledge.

 

[Dusty Bake Activate]

what's the relationship between mutation as in random 'odd' things happening to an offspring
vs
the gene combining that happens to make you different from your siblings?

does the latter not do anything for natural selection..? I was thinking that even with the same non mutated genes combining you can have successful vs non successful offspring who can pass on traits when the successful survive?

this stuff is confusing i'll need to read more

Genetic variability is healthy for a species, so that in that sense yes. The broader the net of genetic variation, the more opportunity for a mutation that gives a genetic advantage in terms of leaving behind viable offspring there is.

Evolution is cool as shyt to think about. The sole motive or purpose (if you even want to call it that) is for the genes of a species to survive and propagate. All DNA wants to do is spread as much as possible, and all the different genomes in the world are competing in a sense because they all want the same thing. The vast majority of them burn out and fail. 99.9 % of species that ever existed are extinct. The ones that have survived have had chance mutations that made them efficient at propagating themselves and leaving behind viable, fit offspring that can continue the process.

The world's been around billions of years, so everything you see today is a winner. Bugs in your house, birds outside, grass in the lawn, trees, dogs on leashes, the cold virus you catch, your neighbors, all these organisms have stood the test of natural selection and been successful for millions of years and they all

Like on the podcast how when you brought up the shark. The shark is an amazing marvel of evolution. You rarely see a large highly evolved intelligent (relatively speaking in terms of all life) creature that's been around that long. They've been around for 450 million years I think, mostly unchanged in the most fundamental ways. I know way back millions of years ago great white sharks used to grow to be much bigger, like 60 feet long. That's because the shark works. It doesn't need to change. There's no selective pressures acting on it to change because it's not broke and doesn't need to be fixed.

 

[OneManGang]

QFT.

I have a chemistry major/biology minor. This is considered common knowledge.

props. I got same degree. What you doing with it breh?

 

[Tha Snowman]

props. I got same degree. What you doing with it breh?

Nothing yet. Hopefully starting med school next year. Taking the MCAT on the 23rd.

You?

 

[OneManGang]

Nothing yet. Hopefully starting med school next year. Taking the MCAT on the 23rd.

You?

I just graduated this last semester. Got back in for a masters. Gonna head the pharmacy route or apply to another masters in chemical engineering. shyt keep us updated with the progress. Good luck breh. MCAT is serious stuff. My girl took hers 2 months back and got a 23

 

[tru_m.a.c]

Nothing yet. Hopefully starting med school next year. Taking the MCAT on the 23rd.

You?

Nothing yet. Hopefully starting med school next year. Taking the MCAT on the 23rd.

You?

much respect to the both of you

best of luck

 

[OsO]

after further investigation, what i came across is that at the MINIMUM the scientific community agrees there need to be MUCH more research done in this area before conclusive resolutions can be drawn about genetics and mutation. so thats first off.

secondly, as a recap, the aspects of mutation i generally disagree with are 1) i dont believe ALL mutations are completely RANDOM and 2) i dont believe ALL mutations result from an internal mechanism...

emphasis on ALL in both occasions

in my further investigation i found these tidbits:

http://www.genetics.edu.au/Information/Genetics-Fact-Sheets/Changes-to-the-Genetic-Code-FS4

Changes to the DNA can be due to exposure to radiation such as
that produced by the sun or by certain chemicals in our diets and
in our external environment.

and

Mutation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Induced mutations on the molecular level can be caused by:
Chemicals
Hydroxylamine NH2OH
Base analogs (e.g. BrdU)
Alkylating agents (e.g. N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea) These agents can mutate both replicating and non-replicating DNA. In contrast, a base analog can only mutate the DNA when the analog is incorporated in replicating the DNA. Each of these classes of chemical mutagens has certain effects that then lead to transitions, transversions, or deletions.
Agents that form DNA adducts (e.g. ochratoxin A metabolites)[23]
DNA intercalating agents (e.g. ethidium bromide)
DNA crosslinkers
Oxidative damage
Nitrous acid converts amine groups on A and C to diazo groups, altering their hydrogen bonding patterns which leads to incorrect base pairing during replication.

with radiation as a separate condition.


mutations induced by chemicals brings up further areas of inquiry because chemicals can certainly be released by the body in response to environmental stimuli. in fact our central nervous system translates TRILLIONS of bits of information per SECOND which results in a huge number of chemical and physiological changes within the human body on a second by second basis.

not only that, but by definition a "random" mutation has to occur on equal footing as all other potential mutations, meaning ALL mutations have EQUAL probability of occurring, which i think is quite ridiculous... i mean... when the last time you saw a chick with three titties who wasnt in a total recall film

im being serious tho... not only do i hypothesize that we can evolve and mutate as a result of our environment, but i think we evolve "automatically" as a result of our very existence.

im saying this as humbly as possible... but i think this is another case where science will be playing catch up