Transcription and Translation:  Mutations

Point Mutations are mutations of 1 nucleotide

The theory goes like this:

if the mutation adversely affects phenotype, it is a genetic disorder or hereditary disease.

Types of Mutations

1. base-pair substitutions: replace one nucleotide and its complementary portion with another pair

2. silent mutation: base pair change may transform a codon into one that still codes for the same amino acid

3. missense mutation: still code for an amino acid but a different one and thus make sense but not the "right" sense
   if it altered a crucial area (active site for example) would = even more interesting

4. nonsense mutation:  change codes for a stop codon

5. insertion and deletion: create frameshift changes

Mutagens
     Hermann Muller found that X-rays increase genetic changes (example:  thymine dimers) that affect DNA replication, repair, or recombination.

Next:  "Viruses."