EMBRYOLOGY
CHROMOSOMES AND CELL DIVISIONS
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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Would a mutation in the DNA of a skin cell be passed on to an organism’s offspring?
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Yes, because any change to the DNA is passed on to the offspring
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Maybe. Sex cells only use half of the body’s genetic code. It might get the copy of a gene that wasn’t mutated.
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No. Only mutations that occur in the gametes (sex cells) are passed on to the offspring
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Without knowing the animal, it would be hard to tell whether or not the mutation would be passed on.
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Explanation:
Detailed explanation-1: -Somatic cells give rise to all non-germline tissues. Mutations in somatic cells are called somatic mutations. Because they do not occur in cells that give rise to gametes, the mutation is not passed along to the next generation by sexual means.
Detailed explanation-2: -For the first time, researchers have shown that mutated cells in the skin grow to form clones that compete against each other. Many mutant clones are lost from the tissue in this competition, which resembles the selection of species that occurs in evolution.
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