Re: volution?and faith and Re:darwin's fish:follow me:read close

Pim van Meurs (entheta@eskimo.com)
Thu, 12 Jun 1997 17:44:06 -0400

---Steve, I appreciate your reply.
JQ: Are there examples of whole sequences of DNA being mutated at
the same time? If there are, I wonder what the next round of mutations
might do to this sequence. If there was a second round.

Most mutations appear to be base-pair substitutions or base-pair
insertions. I do not know if there is data on multiple mutations at the
same time. I do remember some discussion of doubling.
I found a reference to a change that involves gross reorganization of the
genetic material: 1) Inversion 2) deletion, reciprocal translocation and
fusion.
There is no predictability of a random process btw.

JQ: If the new gene was fixed in the genome what protects this new gene
from
the same mutations that got it there?

Nothing, other than if the mutation has a selective advantage organisms
with the mutation might have an advantage over those without the mutation.
But the chances of a reversal of a mutation are quite small.