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A genetic '''mutation''' occurs when mistakes are made during copying/[[reproductive success|reproduction]] of DNA and/or chromosomes. | A genetic '''mutation''' occurs when mistakes are made during copying/[[reproductive success|reproduction]] of DNA and/or chromosomes. | ||
Mutations may be beneficial, neutral or deleterious (bad) for the organism. The majority of mutations have no significant effect (neutral).<ref>http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/mutations.html#Q1</ref> Mutations are unavoidable and they are necessary for evolution to work at all. Natural and [[sexual selection]] | Mutations may be beneficial, neutral or deleterious (bad) for the organism. The majority of mutations have no significant effect (neutral).<ref>http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/mutations.html#Q1</ref> Mutations are unavoidable and they are necessary for evolution to work at all. Natural and [[sexual selection]] decide which phenotypes will be prevalent in future generations and which mutations will become fixed (meaning highly prevalent in the gene pool). | ||
Older parents produce more mutated offspring.<ref>https://www.bionews.org.uk/page_96182</ref> There is also evidence that the mutation rate is much higher in human males (up to 6 times higher), which has also been found in other species such as birds.<ref>https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10978293</ref><ref>https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959437X02003544?via%3Dihub</ref> This has lead to a hypothesis of evolution being largely driven by mutations in the male germline. This finding is heavily contested however. | Older parents produce more mutated offspring.<ref>https://www.bionews.org.uk/page_96182</ref> There is also evidence that the mutation rate is much higher in human males (up to 6 times higher), which has also been found in other species such as birds.<ref>https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10978293</ref><ref>https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959437X02003544?via%3Dihub</ref> This has lead to a hypothesis of evolution being largely driven by mutations in the male germline. This finding is heavily contested however. | ||