What Are The Other Factors Through Which Mutations Can Occur In Human Beings?

Dominant mutant genes are easily detected while recessive ones may not be detectable for generations. Some mutations are beneficial to the species of plants and animals but otherwise most of the mutations are harmful to the organism.

Mutations may arise as a result of changes in the environmental conditions. As these changes take place organisms with new characteristics may arise after many years giving rise to a new species. Nature selects those organisms with more favorable characteristics to survive to reproduce their own kind. The evolution of the present day forms of life believed to have occurred through mutations and natural selection.

The rate of spontaneous mutation is usually very low. However the rate of mutation is greatly increased by the presence of certain agents in the external environment. Such agents are called mutagents. Ultra violet light, alpha, beta and gamma radiations are mutagenic. As most mutations are harmful we can imagine what will happen if the rate of mutations increases in the human population because of radio-active dust. It has also been found that a number of chemicals, if present in certain concentrations are mutagenic to certain organisms e.g. mustard gas, formaldehyde, ferrous and manganous salts, and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).

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